Were It So Easy
by Kiliani
Summary: Alternate end to Halo 3. Both the Chief and Arbiter made it back to Earth, now it's time for some RnR but why is the Arbiter suddenly fidgety around the Chief? Find out here! Female Arbiter!
1. Chapter 1

**Were It So Easy**

**As promised, here is the Halo one-shot. The next chapter of A New Beginning will be out by Friday as well. Nothing to really say except I hope you enjoy it as it is the second time I had to rewrite something on FF so far. Check out WarlordFil's Rules of Engagement for a good Human Male and Female Sangheili story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters copyright of Bungie and 343 I guess.**

Only a handful of people were on the hill right now. Lord Hood was there and so were the Marine Honor Guard. Other soldiers who were in the area also attended the small dedication ceremony but there weren't many. Two people did look out of place for such a ceremony but they looked odd for different reasons.

The Master Chief just stood there in his Mjolnir Mark XI armor looking like a green statue while his companion, merely called the Arbiter, stood in a silvery ceremonial armor of the Sangheili. As they both listened to Lord Hood's speech, many thoughts were running through the Arbiter's mind. _'What does this mean for my people? We depended on the Prophets for so much and now…' _She couldn't finish that train of thought. When the war first broke out, many Sangheili scoffed at the females decision to enlist but when they discovered that while the humans used primitive weapons compared to them they fought like rabid animals back into a corner. That "never give up" attitude the humans employed cost them many lives and eventually the males welcomed female Sangheili into their units. She had worked herself to the bone to get her own command, only to have it be taken by the same human she stood with. When she was offered to be the Arbiter she reluctantly accepted and soon found herself back in command with greater authority than she previously had but now it seemed hollow.

The Master Chief was thinking about how much longer he would be of use now that the war was over. "They won't have much need of me anymore." He said to his A.I. companion Cortana. "I'm a soldier and nothing more."

"You'll be fine Chief, the war might be over but I have a feeling we are far from done." Cortana replied smoothly. She was talking about the rebuilding process and the Chief had to agree with her. There was so much to do before humanity could reclaim its previous might and the Chief knew it would take decades before they could be halfway back to before the war. If the Chief lived to even see that part, he would consider it a great feat. The Convenant still remained but it would implode quickly with Truth's death and the Prophets lies being silenced. "We are still alive John and that is what we should be happy about right now." She finished.

The Chief paused when she said that. She only used his name when she was really emotional and this was one of those times. She was right after all, they were alive and the war over but that also meant the Elites were a different story. He looked out of the corner of his eye to the Arbiter and wondered what was bound to happen with the Sangheili race as a whole. Would they wish for peace even after their respective races had killed each other for years or try and take revenge for their fallen.

The Arbiter could feel the Chiefs gaze on her as they continued to watch the ceremony. She knew what he was thinking about and truthfully she was just as concerned as him. The Sangheili weren't known for showing mercy and she didn't doubt that there would be calls to continue a war with humans on Sangheilios within months of their return and if left unchecked it could split and ultimately cripple their race. "We will try our best to avoid another war with your species." She said quietly to the Chief. "I can't speak for the war hawks however."

The Chief inclined his head slightly. "I won't pretend that humans won't do the same. The biggest problem will be quelling anyone trying to start something." He replied just as quietly.

"It's up to the brass Chief. The hawks may cry all they want but ultimately it's the UNSC who decides military decisions." Cortana told him.

"I never thanked you for pulling us out of the aft section of the Dawn." The Chief said. "We would've been stuck in wherever it put us for a long time."

"I simply made a decision that carried great risk. Being the Arbiter means that I would sent on suicide mission after suicide mission in the Covenant's hope that I will die. If I failed to pull you out, then I would live with great shame that I couldn't save humanity's hero or I would be stuck with you in there." She said as Lord Hood droned on. "I wouldn't allow that to live in my conscious when I could've done something to prevent it."

Cortana jumped into the conversation. "The Chief never thanks anyone. I guess you're the exception now." She teased and unknown to them both, the Arbiter turned her head slightly to hide a slight hue appearing on her face.

"I believe I thanked you a few times during the war Cortana." The Chief replied with a small trace of humor. Slowly but surely, Cortana was changing him; he rarely joked or smiled unless it was with his team but after hearing about Onyx he grew cold to the world again. The old Chief who was trained to take victory at any cost was slowly being phased out for a new Chief. It would take more time but that was all they had now.

As Lord Hood finished his speech, the Honor Guard did a Right Face and began the 21-Gun Salute for those lost in the Human-Covenant War. The hill grew quiet and solemn as the final part of the ceremony concluded and many began their trek back to the Pelicans in the distance. Lord Hood took the time to approach the two. "I remember when the war first started. I hated your kind and I can never forgive you for what your race has done to mine, but thank you for bringing him back." He told the Arbiter.

The Arbiter glanced at the Chief before replying. "I don't expect forgiveness but we will do what we can to earn a small amount of it. We were being lead blindly and it cost us all more than anything. Before the war started, we were the ones who began questioning the Prophets on why you all weren't permitted into the Covenant and maybe if we pushed harder this could've all been avoided."

Hood inclined his head as a gesture of respect. He would always hate the Elites but that wouldn't cloud his judgment if they wish to seek peace. Both races needed each other for right now and holding a grudge wouldn't help at all. "Chief I want to speak with you back on the Cairo when you have a chance. You need to be debriefed and tell your side of the events in the final moments in the Ark." He told the Chief."

"I'll be there sir." The Chief said as he saluted Hood as Hood saluted him back. As the Chief watched Lord Hood depart he had a small feeling that Cortana was right. This wasn't the end, not by a long shot.

"The majority of our fleet will return home while a single ship will remain as diplomats for a while." The Arbiter said while shuffling her feet a little. "You wouldn't want to but I hope you will visit it under peaceful terms this time." She finished awkwardly before she too departed to a waiting dropship.

"If I didn't know any better Chief, I would say she was asking you to visit her." Cortana teased him as the Chief just shook his head. "Talk about a big ice breaker, I didn't even know he was a she."

_-Flashback-_

_The Chief had just narrowly avoided being ejected from the Dawn by a Scorpion and crawled his way to back to the terminal as he sat on the other side it he waited for the inevitable. He knew the ship wouldn't last the ride back as he could already hear the metal tearing apart. He glanced back at the doorway that the Scorpion tank covered and wondered how long before the ship split._

"_If we don't make it." Cortana began but the Chief cut her off._

"_We'll make it." He said simply._

"_It's been an honor serving with you Chief." Cortana finished sadly._

_The Chief was exhausted and his eyelids began to droop. Normally his suits adrenaline systems would kick in but the Scorpion had damaged his suit and the system was fried. Just as he was about to collapse he felt himself being pulled and his eyes shot open. The Arbiter was trying to get him up and to the door._

"_Come on, we don't have much time!" The Arbiter shouted as she tried to carry the Chief._

_Despite being exhausted, the Chief couldn't help but silently thank the Arbiter has he tiredly lifted himself from the ground. Before he moved he made sure to grab Cortana from the terminal and moved with the Arbiter to the door. The Scorpion was blocking it but the combined force of both the Arbiter and the Chief ensured that it would move and eventually they pushed it aside. As they hobbled down the passageway they heard metal creaking all around them and soon enough the saw the ship being pulled apart. The Chief lost his footing on an exposed piece of metal and the ship split apart at that moment._

'_I guess this is it.' He thought as he closed his eyes again before he felt himself stop. He opened his eyes to the sight of the Arbiter clinging on to a beam of metal in the ship as the Ark was closing fast all around them._

_The Arbiter didn't know she was doing this much for a human but she wouldn't let him go that easily. She was determined to bring him back when she had failed to bring back Johnson as the Chief called him. She wouldn't allow the last human she knew to perish like this._

"_Don't worry about me!" The Chief yelled but he was treated to a weird expression from the Elite. Her mandibles were split into a weird way that reminded the Chief of a human smile._

"_Is the Arbiter smiling?" Cortana asked in shock._

"_Were it so easy." The arbiter replied as she used all of her strength to pull" himself" and the Chief back into the ship. As they clung to the side of the ship, there was a bright flash of light and they both knew no more._

_The Chief came to a couple hours later. As he slowly picked himself from the floor he looked around to see the Arbiter also waking up. "Did we make it?" He asked Cortana._

"_Scanning. Planet life confirmed Chief, we're back in Voi. We made it back!" Cortana said happily._

"_Any incoming rescue ships?"_

"_A few Chief, but it's going to take some time for them to open the ship. The door is currently underground so they would have to cut a hole into it." She replied calmly._

"_Did we make it?" The Arbiter said reluctantly._

_The Chief inclined his head a short nod as the Arbiter relaxed and gave him the Sangheili version of a smile again. "Thank the gods." The Arbiter replied._

"_It's going to take a while for rescue." Cortana said as the Arbiter did some stretching to loosen up._

"_It is of no matter. The fact that we are safe is more than enough." The Arbiter said as she began to do a series of stretches that no normal Sangheili could do._

_Cortana was getting a little confused. She knew that a normal Sangheili soldier couldn't do half the exercises that the Arbiter was doing and that was what bothered her. One other problem also presented itself at the time; why was the Arbiter shorter than the other Sangheili they encountered? "How are you able to do that? Sangheili shouldn't be able to bend like that." She voiced her thoughts._

_The Arbiter snorted at her statement. "Females are shorter and as a result are more limber than males."_

_Cortana's confusion grew before shock entered her. "You mean that you….."_

"_Are female, yes." The Arbiter cut her off with only a shrug. The Chief merely shrugged his shoulders. Being female didn't mean you couldn't fight, his squad more than proved that._

"_But normal Sangheili society doesn't allow females to serve in the military." Cortana said with her head reeling._

"_If it were the early stages of the war you would be correct. When we discovered that you humans fight like there's no tomorrow we had to change many customs to ensure we had the numbers to sustain combat. Females were accepted into military training quickly after that. I worked myself to the bone to become a Zealot and led my own fleet. Then you both came along and destroyed my career on the ring." She said bitterly. The mark would never disappear but thankfully with the Prophets lies being discovered her mark of shame became the symbol of the Elites. They would wear it forever as a sign that they were fooled and disgraced but lies._

"_If you all weren't trying to destroy everyone in the galaxy then it wouldn't've happened." The Chief said._

"_Lies told by the Prophets. I felt a great deal of satisfaction when I stabbed my sword through his gut." She smirked as she remembered the scene. The sight of the Prophets eyes as his plan failed gave her great pleasure and she felt the approval of her fallen comrades that died for these lies. They were avenged and she helped make it happen._

"_What about the rest of the Covenant?" The Chief asked as the Arbiter gave another snort._

"_An annoyance at best. They will splinter and fight but if they do not lay down their arms then they will meet the same fate." The Arbiter replied._

"_One day we will have to settle this once and for all." The Chief said heavily._

"_And I will welcome that day demon." The Arbiter said without venom for once. She would forward to that day to prove who the best was; her or the demon._

"_If you both are finished planning your honeymoon, we have company outside the ship." Cortana said as she felt numerous Pelicans drop around them. Their rescue was here._

_The Chief merely shook his head at Cortana's antics. He had grown use to her jokes but he did offer a small smile at her attempt to lighten the mood. The Arbiter on the other hand had turned away to hide a growing blush on her face. Female Sangheili only chose those males who had proven themselves in combat and she wouldn't lie by saying the Chief wasn't desirable in that aspect. If his feats ever made it back to Sangheilios then he would never have a moment's rest, despite never seeing his true face. It only added to the mystery of the demon and many females would jump at the chance to solve it. The thought of another female taking him made her mood go sour for some reason._

_-Flashback end-_

The Chief watched her go before walking to the last Pelican in the clearing. He had a debrief to attend and then it was time for some R n R. As he was walking away, Cortana decided to add one last comment. "You know, it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit her Chief. Who knows what we could discover while on board their ship this time."

The Chief only sighed at Cortana's antics. "If there is a diplomat party going there then I will request to be on it but for right now I have a debriefing to go to." Cortana wouldn't give up her stance of going but the Chief had a sneaking suspicion she had an ulterior motive. The question is, what is it?

**And cut! I have decided to make this a multi-chapter short. When I started on it I tried to incorporate everything and it left me with a badly written one-shot and so I decided with the re-write to split it up. This is part one to explain how the Chief made it back and next will start the diplomatic visit to the cruiser and we get to see some Sangheili attempts at courting from everyone's favorite alien! Stay tuned for part two next week and for the next chapter of A New Beginning this Friday!**

**I know we have one confirmed female Sangheili picture but for this story's sake imagine the females as the same as the males except they are shorter than males and are more flexible. I apologize of the Chief seems kinda OOC in this but I am trying to make it seem like Cortana has been able to change some of his personality from emotionless machine to human being. It's a work in progress so don't judge too harshly but constructive criticism is always welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2 I Volunteer

**Ch. 2 I Volunteer**

**Chapter two of Were It So Easy is here for your viewing pleasure! I am glad at the amount of attention it has gotten in a little over a week and I hope you all stay tuned for more on our favorite duo. ^^**

**Unrelated note, A New Beginning is still 6 reviews from completely ending. That's all that is needed for you all to enjoy the good ending to my first story. If everyone who viewed it the day 22 was posted then the goal would've been met in about an hour but sadly it seems you must still wait. Get those reviews in and let's get that story finished this week! ^^**

**Some people have expressed skepticism over the pairing with how the Chief isn't very emotional save for Cortana and the Arbiter was more concerned with duty and still is to an extent. Granted, due to my infancy in Fanfiction I may not be the best person to write this but seeing as how no one else has stepped up to the plate, I figured I would throw it out there and see if people bite.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters copyright of Bungie and 343.**

"Normal Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"_Sangheili Language"_

The Chief left the armory completely devoid of his, now damaged again, MJOLNIR Mark VI armor and for the first time felt a little unprotected. Cortana had reintegrated herself into the Cairo station computers and was talking to him through a headset attached to his ear. "How was the debrief?" She asked curiously.

"The same that you could find anywhere else; Lord Hood was worried about the presence of the lone Sangheili carrier but understands the need for diplomacy. As long as it keeps a safe distance from Earth and is under heavy guard then he won't mind." The Chief said. He was worried but his training didn't allow him to show it or let it enter his voice, Cortana might've loosened him up a lot but there was still a ways to go it seemed.

"I understand but I really doubt they will do anything at this point." Cortana replied calmingly as she knew what the Chief was thinking and tried to placate him. It took many ships to bring down one Covenant Cruiser and the Covenant ships always self-destructed when they were in that position. Even under heavy guard, that Sangheili ship could do a very extreme amount of damage before it was brought down.

"It's a necessary precaution Cortana. You know that." The Chief said as he wandered aimlessly around the Cairo. He was supposed to be heading for his assigned barracks for rest but he felt the need to walk. The Cairo was still being repaired from the assault on Earth and it would be at least a year before it was completely restored. The Athens and Malta stations were scheduled to begin rebuilding next year but it would a long while before they could be anything but works in progress.

"I do but do you really think the Arbiter would allow them do anything? She's just as war weary as you are." Cortana said to him. "Besides they are only staying to allow diplomacy to run its course before they return to Sangheilios. I've been hearing some UNSC chatter about establishing an embassy on Sangheilios but that's all it is. Maybe you should ask and see if they need a Spartan?"

The Chief sighed. All of a sudden he wanted to go to sleep, if only to escape Cortana's constant reminder of the Arbiter. "Cortana, there wouldn't be a need for a Spartan. They have the UNSC forces for security." He said before adding. They also have Spartan III's who will start to complain if they don't have something to do."

Cortana caught the dislike in his tone regardless of how hard he tried to conceal it. Dr. Halsey was blacklisted when the Spartan II project ended and she was wanted alive by ONI on charges of unethical experiments but both the Chief and Cortana knew that wasn't the actual reason they were after her. They wanted her for something but got pissed when she refused and put her as a criminal. What ONI didn't know was the fact that the many in the UNSC could care less about her experiments due to the outcome of her experiments helping in turning around the war and ending it; ONI was being given the middle finger and they didn't even know it. "Chief, sooner or later, you will have to work with different Spartan soldiers. At least don't count them out until you have seen them fight."

Chief knew that Cortana was right but he didn't like it. He wanted his squad again but they were still trapped at Onyx and probably dead by now. The newer Spartans weren't as trained as his squad and that could turn out to be bad in the long run. "They just aren't the same as my squad Cortana." He said warily.

"I know but sometimes you have to work with what you got, just like on a battlefield. If you run out of ammo then pick up an enemy weapon and keep shooting." Cortana joked and Chief had a ghost of a smile pass over his face. She was right and the Chief knew it. "Now I believe you were suppose to go to sleep, so get over to your bunk soldier!" She half-joked and half-ordered. The Chief shook his head and made his way back to the barracks; his bunk was calling his name after all.

-Scene Break-

"Anything new on our orders?" The Arbiter asked a communication specialist on the ship.

"Nothing for now; the humans sent over a list of requirements for us to follow but nothing else." The specialist replied without looking up from his work.

The Arbiter sighed tiredly. She wanted sleep but making sure her ship was safe was her priority right now. "What are the requirements we are following?"

The specialist never halted in his typing. "We have to maintain a certain distance from their planet at all times and we are to be under heavy guard at all hours. They will provide us with supplies if they are needed but we aren't to approach the planet unless we are told."

"Damn the Prophets." The Arbiter cursed under her breath. "If we would've kept pushing before this happened then maybe we wouldn't be in this position." She said quietly but the specialist heard her and did halt in his work for once.

"We were poisoned by the Prophets and took their arguments despite our own feelings. They are the ones truly at fault Arbiter. They led us all to defeat but now we have a small chance to reclaim our honor. Do not dwell on the past but look to the future and see the hope we have." The specialist replied evenly. "You look like your about to pass out so go get some rest. The ship will be here when you wake." He said before returning to his work.

The Arbiter went over his words in her head and decided that some sleep might be able to help her headache that was forming. "I will do that, thank you Specialist-"

"Relon 'Kevlan." He replied.

"Specialist Kevlan." She replied with an inclined head before walking away to her quarters. As she walked through the corridors of the _Light of Hope _her mind was back on the Spartan she fought alongside in the final moments of the war. _'What is the Spartan doing right now?' _She wondered.

-Scene Change-

The Chief was roused from his sleep by Cortana around 0500. "What's going on Cortana?" He said sleepily, even Spartan's needed rest after all.

"The Sangheili cruiser decided to open-" She started but was cutoff as the Chief immediately grabbed his weapon and was out the door within a few seconds. "I still have things to teach him it seems." She sighed wearily.

The Chief was sprinting down the halls faster than a cheetah and with only a few minutes had reached the main control room where Lord Hood was talking with a few Elites in blue armor. His first reaction was to bring the Assault Rifle to eye level but Lord Hood noticed him and made a small gesture for him to lower it. "You're early Chief." Hood told the Spartan.

"Sir?" The Chief asked while eyeing the Elites. They were eyeing him back and sizing him up though he could tell that they were confused.

"_The demon is human?"_ One of them whispered in their language.

"_That would explain why they aided the humans in the war." _Another whispered as they looked at him. _"They were humans all along." _

"I told Cortana to wake you up at 0700 Chief not 0500." Hood told the Spartan who blinked before narrowing his eyes.

"Cortana didn't tell me that part sir." The Chief replied as he looked at Cortana's, now visible hologram on a terminal. She had her arms crossed and was looking amused at the Chief.

"You never let me finish Chief. You just ran out the door before I got any farther." Cortana replied with a hint of humor. The few humans in the room started to laugh but the Chief didn't seem to mind.

Lord Hood sighed tiredly. "I wish I had taken retirement years ago." He whispered quietly. "Mendez did a thorough job on training you Spartans." He said as the Chief approached. "We were discussing a possible diplomatic meeting on their cruiser as they aren't allowed any closer to Earth." Hood told the Chief, who immediately glanced at Cortana.

"If you would've let me finish speaking, then I could've told you that and then let you fall back to sleep." She said amused.

"Are you sure it's wise to have humans on their ship sir?" The Chief said as he threw a glare at the Elites who snarled back.

"I know the last time you were on their ship it was a battle Chief but this is different. We can't hold a peace talk here on Earth because of the demands they have to follow and following them to their planet just for a talk would be counter-productive as they also might take it as a sign of aggression, right?" He looked to the Elites at the last part.

"Some would see it that way and with some Sangheili keeps still wanting war for our fallen, it would not be a wise choice. If a formal alliance can be made then it would make the populace believe that we can let bygones be bygones and the few keeps that call for war would be outnumbered and silenced." The lead Elite said confidently.

"That might be true for your race but humans won't ever forget. Our race would be split between anti-war and pro-war and that's before politics enter the ring." Hood said tiredly as he imagined the political shit storm that was about rage over this.

"All the more reason to make this official before it goes up in smoke." The Elite said.

Cortana looked at Lord Hood. "He has a point sir. If the UNSC and the Sangheili declare a ceasefire agreement then it won't matter who complains."

Hood shook his head. "ONI would try and raise hell about this Cortana. Politicians we can deal with but ONI is different and they don't care if they have to turn to illegal activity to get a job done. If they are against this then you can bet they will do whatever they can to make this break down."

"Then let's get a ceasefire agreement reached quickly then sir." Cortana replied with a tone of finality. "The quicker the better and I already have a list of people who would be great at negotiations." She said smugly.

"I'll go myself Cortana, this way I can end my career on a good note." Hood said in a low voice.

The Chief was thinking over this development with a careful mind. This alliance they had was a shaky one at best and was held together only by the mutual hate of the Covenant after the Prophets lies surfaced. Only two outcomes were possible in the Chief's mind; one was the talks breaking down and Lord Hood and his team held captive on the vessel and the other was a small chance of this actually turning out to be successful. Another thought then popped up in the Chief's mind that was completely unrelated to the problem at hand. It was a memory of the hill and the Arbiter's parting words to the Chief.

\- Small Flashback -

"_The majority of our fleet will return home while a single ship will remains as diplomats for a while." The Arbiter said while shuffling her feet a little. "You wouldn't want to but I hope you will visit it under peaceful terms this time." She finished awkwardly before she too departed to a waiting dropship._

\- Small Flashback over -

'_I guess I do owe her a thank you for pulling me out of the aft section of the Dawn.' _The Chief thought hesitantly. "Sir, permission to speak?"

"Granted Chief." Hood replied as looked at the Spartan.

"If you do organize a party, I volunteer to be security." The Chief said.

Hood looked at the Elites. "Would that be acceptable?"

The Elites spoke in their language for a minute before turning back to Hood. "If the demon agrees to remain as he is currently."

"I don't think we'll have a problem with that." Hood said as he eyed the Chief.

"No sir." The chief said calmly. Internally though he was frowning, he felt uncomfortable without his armor but if he had go with normal Marine armor to ensure Hood's safety then he would do it. It also didn't help that his armor would take about a week to repair for all the damage it received.

"Alright then, tell the Arbiter we will meet later tomorrow at 1200 hours." Hood told the Elites who slapped their fists to the chest in a sign of respect and departed to their drop ship.

"Why do you want to go Chief? A normal Marine escort would've be sufficient." Hood asked the Chief.

"Just wanting to ensure your safety, sir." The Chief replied as he saluted and left the control room for the mess hall.

"Is there something I should know about Cortana?" Hood asked the A.I. who just had a smug look.

"The Arbiter came back for the Chief in the Dawn sir. I told the Chief he should thank him for that and he never did yet and this would be the perfect time to do so." Cortana replied as her hologram faded away.

Lord Hood shook his head and turned back to the console. "Let's just hope this runs smoothly or else we could wind up in a war that was even worse than the previous one."

**And cue the second chapter of Were It So Easy. A diplomatic party was decided and the Chief volunteered to watch Hood's back during it. Yes I am leaving the Chief unarmored for the meeting for the reasons of allowing the Arbiter to see him without the armor. I know we never got a really good description of him save for his eye and hair color but we did some of his face during halo 4 at the end. Also I have read that in Issue 8 of Halo Escalation he did join rejoin his old friends of Kelly, Fed and Linda but for stories sake they are still in Onyx. (Taken from the Halo nation Wiki if you wish to verify it)**

**Either way I hope you enjoy this chapter and the next will be out sometime next week and also for those that have read A New Beginning, please review it so I can finish it. Also read and review this and tell me what you think so far!**

**Till next everybody!**


	3. Chapter 3 A Meeting and A Problem

**Ch. 3 A Meeting and A Problem**

**Chapter 3 time and this story is going strong so far. Thank you all for following it so much and I hope it lives up to your expectations. Chapter 2 of Dovahkiin will be out by next Wednesday and I am hoping to have chapter 4 of Were It So Easy by next weekend's end.**

**Nothing much to say here except enjoy the chapter and vote in the poll on my profile regarding A New Beginning if you have read it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters copyright of Bungie and 343.**

The diplomacy team was assembled and waiting for their transport to be prepared. Lord Hood was the leader of the small team with Fleet Admiral Harper and Gunnery Sergeant Stacker and Spartan-117 providing backup. It was a small team but it was better than bringing a 10-person party for negotiations; the elites might take it as a sign of strong-arming them and become aggressive.

"Nervous Chief?" Cortana asked through his helmet speaker.

"No, Lord Hood knows what he is doing Cortana." The Chief replied calmly.

"I wasn't asking about Hood, Chief. I was asking about you telling the Arbiter, thank you." Cortana replied with teasingly but the Chief didn't even flinch.

"Cortana, we are going for a diplomatic meeting not an apology session." The Chief replied uncaringly before relenting. "If I get a chance then I will thank her for pulling us out of the aft section of the Dawn."

Cortana sighed in his speaker. "It's the best I can ask for I guess."

"Why are you pushing for me to speak to the Arbiter, Cortana?" The Chief asked suddenly.

Cortana already had numerous statements to present to him for the answer. "She is like you in a way Chief. She was a commander that was stripped of her rank then forced into a suicide role and you have been in near suicidal missions since you were combat ready as a Spartan. She was a cold and ruthless commander who wanted success regardless and so were you before you got put with me." Cortana replied calmly. "Sometimes I wonder who is the machine between us Chief." She finished uncertainly.

The Chief didn't have an answer to her comment nor was she expecting one but it still was a serious statement. The Chief wanted to say that it was her but he couldn't. Ever since he was first put into combat, his actions were more like a machine than anyone else. He always accomplished a mission without regards to anything else just like a machine that was programmed to do its master's bidding. He was told to kill and he killed, without regards to civilian or military casualties as long as his mission was done. The Chief knew he was the machine but his pride would never let him admit it.

-Scene Change-

The Arbiter was currently pacing the length of the docking ramp in the hanger in anticipation of the arrival of the first peaceful talks between Sangheili and Human since the Great Schism happened.

"The humans will arrive in a minute, Arbiter." An Elite in red armor replied as he walked into the dock. She stopped her pacing when he spoke and turned to him.

"Are the suppression teams in place, encase of hostility breaking out?" She asked hesitantly. Having suppression teams made her feel like she was leading her allies into a trap but it was necessary for protection sake.

"They are in place to jump at any moment." He acknowledged. "The demon will be attending will he not?"

The Arbiter nodded and turned her attention to the vast expanse of space out of the shielded bay. "He will be on guard for the slightest hint of trouble so ensure the entire crew is respectful." She ordered as the Elite put his fist to his chest in salute before walking away to carry out her orders. She was left alone on the docking bay again. "God's help us if this goes south." She said as a shield to the hanger was dropped and a human Pelican entered the hanger.

-Scene Change-

The Chief stepped into the dock behind Lord Hood as soon as the Pelican landed in the hanger. It looked the same as the _'Truth and Reconciliation' _hanger he infiltrated when he had to rescue Captain Keyes but it was little bigger and more blue as opposed to a dark purple he was use to seeing in Covenant ships. Engineers and Elites were moving about the hanger performing maintenance and refitting ships but all movement ceased and all eyes turned to the new arrivals when Lord Hood and his team stepped off the Pelican.

"They aren't shooting yet, that's always a good sign." Cortana said in his ear.

"They probably don't know it's me." The Chief replied though some of the Elites were eyeing him as if trying to decide something.

The Arbiter cleared her throat and bumped her fist to her chest in greeting. "Welcome to our ship, commander. It is an honor to welcome you and your guests for such an historic event as this." She spoke in a calm and even tone. Inwardly, she was completely worried of blundering and causing a diplomatic incident that started this meeting badly.

"Lord Hood is fine. I do not believe we can completely form a pact like this, however we will wish to at least have something accomplished between our races that can hopefully lead to a more permanent treaty." Hood said firmly. Hood was completely for brokering an alliance with the Sangheili but with everything that has happened it would take a lot of time and healing before such an act was completed.

The Arbiter nodded briskly. "I completely understand Lord Hood. I, too, know of the futility of brokering a complete alliance but as you said, we are hoping for a temporary fix that could help bring in a new era to both of our races."

"That's what we all hope for." Lord Hood said solemnly.

The Arbiter turned to the rest of Hood's group. "Who are the rest of your team?" She asked as her glanced at them before they stopped on the Chief. She was sure that she had met this human somewhere but she couldn't remember where.

Hood indicated to the man standing to his right. "Fleet Admiral Harper." He then pointed to Stacker. "Gunnery Sergeant Stacker." He said as Stacker gave a stiff nod of his head. Stacker had lost most of his soldiers in the war but he was one of the leading voices to fight alongside the Elites. Hood then pointed to the Chief before smirking. "And this is Sierra-117."

If the Arbiter had a human jaw then it would've been on the ground. Now she knew why he looked a little familiar to her. His stance and movement reminded her of the Spartan but he wasn't wearing the armor so she wrote it off as a coincidence. All around the hanger, voices started whispering. "The demon is human?" seemed to be the prevalent thought.

"I guess they are shocked to see a human underneath the armor, Chief." Cortana said with a snicker. "I guess the Arbiter likes what she sees as well." She finished while laughing. The Chief merely ignored her.

The Arbiter was indeed taking in his features at that moment. Standing 6"10' with short brown hair and blue eyes with a light skin color that looked like it hadn't seen sun in years and the skin around his eyes did have some small wrinkles that were appearing due to age but that only made him seem more warrior-like that he already was. _'The females would definitely pursue him back on Sangheilios regardless of his race if they saw his face in tandem with his feats.' _The Arbiter thought._ 'A warrior that many keep's would gladly offer him anything to have him join their ranks.' _Her thoughts turned darker at the notions. _'They would do well to keep their distance if he visited. If they even come anywhere close to him then my sword will find their gut.' _She thought darkly before shaking her head. _'Now isn't the time for this.' _The answer her mind had wasn't something she wanted to admit to herself. "It is my honor to meet you all in a different setting than in previous encounters. My name is Thela 'Vadam, the Arbiter of the Sangheili." She spoke with confidence as she faced Hood again. "If you would follow me to the meeting room, we can begin."

-Scene Change-

They broke for lunch at 1200 and Hood was about to shove his head through a wall. He knew that this would be difficult but the Elites were determined to try and fight every little thing. From ship limits to planet distances and weapon limits, it was like pulling teeth from a screaming child. "If it was going to be this bad, I would've assigned someone else to do this." Hood sighed weary from the meeting so far.

"With all due respect, sir. I don't think anyone else could've made it through so far without pissing them off." Stacker replied over his rations.

"He has a point Admiral." Harper replied with a small grin.

Hood shook his head and turned to the Chief. "I don't suppose I could talk you into doing this Chief?"

"I'm a soldier sir, not a diplomat." The Chief replied simply.

"Sometimes Chief, that's all that is needed." Hood said as the door to the room opened and the Arbiter walked in.

"Are you ready to resume talks?" She asked hesitantly.

"Can you give us 10 minutes? We just started to eat." Stacker said exasperated.

"Sergeant." Hood said warningly.

"Very well." The Arbiter said before her eyes found the Chief again. "Spartan, would you mind accompanying me?"

The Chief cocked his head. "Why?"

"Go with her Chief." Cortana hissed into his ear. "It'll give you both some time to talk and it might help the negotiations go better."

The Arbiter inclined her head. "Two warriors on equal ground would help in smoothing over negotiations. If you had to gamble, would you gamble on helping these talks go better or sit back and do nothing?"

Hood considered the idea. "The Arbiter has a point Chief. If you could help out by talking things over then you have my permission."

The Chief sighed. "Yes, sir." He followed the Arbiter out of the room and down the hall. "What exactly do you want to talk about." He asked her as they walked.

The Arbiter was trying to keep calm. "I had hoped we could have a friendly spar in the training room. We never settled who is best after all." She said with a small measure of hope in her voice. It was customary for a male to prove himself in combat against others for a normal female but if the female in question was a Keep Guardian or another warrior then the male had to defeat the female in a sparring match to prove his worth. A loss didn't disqualify him but that meant the female had the final say in whether or not he would be a good fit.

The Chief mulled it over. "Any reason for this right now?"

"I figured it would be a good time to let off some steam. We both have grudges against the other race and this would help relieve some of those pent up feelings." She said solemnly. _'It would also help me prove myself to you through combat.' _She thought eagerly. She might be a warrior but she was still female at heart and as custom the potential suitor had to fight her in combat.

The Chief was feeling a little restless the past couple days and a little fighting might help him calm down. "Alright but I'm not responsible for injuries." He said finally.

"Agreed." The Arbiter replied as they came to a stop outside the training room. "This is a friendly spar, not a fight to the death." She finished as the doors opened to permit them.

The room was about the size of a firing range with a physical contact room on one side and a firing range on the other complete with plasma pistols, rifles and a couple of carbines on the walls. Some Elites were testing themselves in mock battles while others were firing at brute targets in the range. Cortana was chuckling as the Elites seem to take great pleasure in aiming for the brutes head and almost went to full blown laughter when she saw that some targets were of the Prophets with numerous holes in them.

The Arbiter took one look at the targets and growled with disdain. "Traitors like that deserve no mercy." She spoke with venom as she led him to a space in the room. "No weapons and no serious injuries. Are you ready?" She said as she stretched.

The Chief merely nodded as he finished his short warm up.

No words were needed as they began to grapple. The room went silent but for the combatants they didn't notice. The Chief went for a right hook only for the Arbiter to twist away and attempt to sweep his legs which he blocked. She followed up with a punch to his gut but had her arm grabbed as he attempted to throw her over his shoulder. Back and forth they moved almost in an intricate dance; the Arbiter had graceful and fluid movements and the Chief had the raw power and skill. Every punch and kick they threw at each other was either dodged or blocked in a way that almost seemed like they were reading each other's minds.

The Chief was actually enjoying himself for once. It made him missed the time he spent sparring with his fellow Spartans. It helped them build camaraderie and allowed them to loosen up before a mission. The Arbiter wasn't a Spartan but she was just as quick and agile as one and that actually made the Chief enjoy this.

The Arbiter was completely entranced in what they were doing. It seemed as though they knew each other so well to the point that they were in sync with each other. She found herself presently enjoying the fight and wished it wouldn't end.

The fight went on for about 20 minutes and yet both combatants showed no signs of stopping but they knew they had to stop sometime. With a final push they both locked hands and attempted to overpower the other through brute force; as their eyes met they gave short nods of approval as they finally disengaged after another few minutes of struggle. The Chief had sweat running down his face and the Arbiter fared no better as she was panting.

"Wow John…just wow." Cortana said in awe. It was like watching a soap opera in a fight. "Did you have fun?"

The Chief sighed and wiped his brow. "It was enjoyable Cortana. I haven't had a fight like that since Blue Team."

The Arbiter wiped the sweat from her face as the Elites around them started to talk about the fight they just saw. "You were a great opponent Spartan. I look forward to more spars in the future." She said with a curt nod of her head.

"As do I Arbiter." The Chief replied in agreement. "It's time for the meeting to resume, I believe."

"You are a killjoy Chief." Cortana said to him. "You were having fun and now you brought work into it."

The Arbiter let out a sigh. She had completely forgotten about the meeting with what they were doing. "You are correct but I did enjoy our spar. Perhaps you could tell me about your training on the way?" She asked curiously. If the humans had that kind of training then she wondered how their own warriors would fair going through that.

"Most of it is classified but I could tell you some." The Chief said at Cortana's urging. The Arbiter nodded as they walked out of the room and back to the meeting room.

The Arbiter was internally smiling the entire time. _'Step one of the courting process….complete.' _

-Scene Change-

The cease-fire agreement was reached after an hour of negotiations and the members of the diplomacy party were on their way back to the Cairo.

"That went….surprisingly well." Hood said hesitantly. "What did you two talk about Chief?"

The Chief shrugged. "We just had a sparring match. The Arbiter wanted to find out who was better but it ended in a draw."

"You both fought to a draw Chief?" Stacker replied with a hint of respect.

The Chief nodded. "They know how to fight in hand-to-hand combat."

Stacker whistled while Hood sighed. "Now I know why they were more agreeable to our terms."

"At least they did sir. Now it's up to the Government when they hear the news." Harper replied reluctantly. "You know how Politics work; they will debate for hours just to hear themselves speak."

Hood nodded tiredly. "The only saving grace is the fact that war is off the table, for now." He said as they all nodded. "Some people will do whatever they can to either destroy the agreement or subvert it."

"Let's hope that never comes Chief." Cortana said to him but he knew that something was going to happen; it always did.

-Scene Change-

Cortana woke the Chief up abruptly. "Chief wake up! You need to get to the bridge!"

The Chief sat up quickly. "What's going on Cortana?"

"No time to explain, grab your gear and get to the bridge." She said as she left the comm. The Chief wasted no time in gathering his armor and weapon before rushing out the door, he didn't get far however.

Two armored figures were at the end of the hallway and judging by their stance, they weren't here for talk. "Hold it Spartan!"

The Chief stopped and looked them over. They looked like Spartans but none that he recognized, not even the Spartan III's.

The lead Spartan identified himself. "Lieutenant Niles and this is Lieutenant Stocker, Spartan IV's. ONI has ordered us to bring you in for questioning."

**And cue the dreaded Cliffhanger! The Arbiter began the courting process, unknown to the Chief, and ONI has sent the new Spartans after the Chief. Things are starting to heat up and the Chief is at the center as usual.**

**I understand that some people might not like how the IV's are already here but that will explained next chapter along with the reason ONI is after the Chief. Also some people might have a problem with the Arbiters name but it was the only thing I could come up with so I just added an "a" to it. Hopefully it isn't too big a problem though.**

**Don't forget the poll if you have read A New Beginning and also be sure to review with your opinions on how this story is going!**

**Till next time my faithful readers!**


	4. Chapter 4 A Planet to Escape to

**A Planet to Escape To**

**Chapter 4 and not much else to say except I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters copyright of Bungie and 343.**

The Chief just stood in the hallway and weighed his options. Normally his military training would require him to follow orders of his superiors but his own instincts were screaming at him to disobey. "What does ONI want with me?" He asked calmly to by himself some time.

Niles narrowed his eyes behind his visor. "That's classified information Chief. As a soldier, your first reaction should be to follow the orders of your superiors. If you don't come with us then we will drag you with us."

'_They want me to fight.' _The Chief realized as he sized them up. They had full armor on while the Chief was still in Marine fatigues but the Chief was willing to bet they didn't have augments like his. ONI wouldn't use something that dangerous if they wanted their own Spartans. _'They probably better training than a normal Marine but not as much as we had.' _

"Last chance Chief, comply with the order or you will be arrested for disobeying an officer. Either way you are coming with us!" Niles said as he and Stocker assumed a loose stance.

The Chief was about to retort until he noticed a slight outline behind the two Spartans and he couldn't help but smirk. "I don't think I have to worry." He said calmly.

"And why is that?" Stocker asked tensely.

The Chief still smirked. "Because it's now one-on-one."

"What do you-" Stocker was cut off when something grabbed him from behind and threw him into a wall. He was knocked out by an alien hand as soon as he hit the ground.

"What the-" Niles never finished as the Chief appeared in front of him and landed a right hook that turned his head almost 90 degrees. Niles dropped to the ground and didn't move.

"They were Spartans?" The Arbiter said as she decloaked.

"ONI wanted quantity over quality I guess. All the hoopla without the training, they were trying to rely on their ranks instead of their skills." The Chief responded with a quick chuckle.

The Arbiter let a huff of disgust. "They would've fallen like cowards if they were deployed in the war."

"Something tells me that they were about as green as they could be." The Chief said before he turned to her. "Why were you here anyway?"

The Arbiter turned her attention to the Chief. "I was here to update your leader on our status. Now that our objective is done, we were to depart back to Sangheilios to tell the news. When we had a grasp of the situation, we were going to send a message to invite humans for peace talks."

The Chief inclined his head. "I understand." He glanced at the slowly stirring forms of Niles and Stocker before walking to her. "Cortana told me to get to the bridge for something."

The Arbiter nodded and made a motion for him to follow her. "The sooner, the better." She said as she looked back the Spartans. "Why were they after you?"

"ONI wanted to talk to me. It was only a matter of time before they tried something like this." The Chief replied solemnly.

"They won't like this." The Arbiter warned the Chief.

"They don't like anything that doesn't fit in with what they want. They have been slowly changing ever since the war turned around and no one knows what they are doing anymore." The Chief said as they reached the tram line.

"And your government does nothing?" The Arbiter said as the tram moved silently through the station.

"Not even the government knows what they are doing anymore. Every time they ask what is going on, ONI claims it classified and need-to-know basis only. It doesn't help that they are trying to replace UNSC brass with their own candidates." The Chief said as he let out a sigh. "I think they might try and start something but no one knows what it is except them."

The tram stopped outside the bridge and they walked to the doors. "Do you think they will try to incite your race against us?" The Arbiter questioned.

"Let's hope they don't." The Chief said as the bridge doors open and they stepped through them.

Lord Hood was near the front shaking his head as he talked to a couple of people in black clothing. "For the last time, this is still my station and you have no authority here."

"Our authority comes directly from ONI and includes any area we deem necessary to carry out our orders." One of them said.

"This isn't an ONI facility; it is a UNSC Military station. Your request to detain one of my soldiers is denied." Hood said warily.

"You will regret this action. ONI will not allow this obstruction to remain here for long." The lead person shot back.

"Get off my station before I have you escorted off." Hood said warningly. The leader snarled before he and his partner walked away as the Chief and the Arbiter walked up.

"You won't evade us forever Spartan. You and that bitch will be captured eventually." He said before he was punched in the gut by a Marine beside the door and put on the ground. "Unhand me now!"

"Get those two out of my sight and off my station." Hood ordered as the Marines saluted and "escorted" the two men out of the room.

"Sir, reporting as ordered." The Chief saluted.

"I apologize, Chief but we received numerous requests to have any remaining Spartan II's to be detained. As you can tell, those requests have been met with a strong rebuttal." Hood said as the Chief nodded.

"I understand however I was waylaid by new Spartans. Spartan IV's they called themselves." The Chief replied and Hood dropped his head.

"So the rumors were true after all." Hood said quietly.

"Sir?"

"ONI has a new branch of personal, Chief." Cortana replied as she appeared on the terminal. "They are making new Spartans with one exception. The Spartans answer ultimately to ONI and not the UNSC. The UNSC can give them orders but ONI's orders trump the UNSC in their eyes; if the UNSC tells them to protect some civilians and ONI tells them to ignore the civilians and continue to the objective then the Spartans will follow ONI's orders."

"ONI wants a new military arm under their control then." The Chief replied tiredly. "What exactly is going on sir?"

"I don't know Chief but they were right. You can't evade them forever if you stay here." Hood said as he turned to the Arbiter.

"We already have his armor stashed in the dropship and whatever personal effects that were in his barracks are also secured." The Arbiter replied as Hood nodded.

The Chief didn't like where this was going. "Sir?"

"We need to get you away from Earth, Chief and the only place we can send you that is outside of ONI's reach is….well." He points to the Arbiter. "It's only until things die down, Chief."

The Chief looked from Hoods weary expression to Cortana's smirking expression and finally to the Arbiter's mixed look of happy and hesitant. "I don't suppose I have a choice, sir."

"It's only for now, Chief and you will have a small group of Marines going with you. It's mainly for company but also as an advance diplomacy party. They will begin to engage in talks until the diplomatic fleet arrives." Hood said as the Chief sighed.

"Is Cortana coming with us?" The Chief asked as he glanced at her.

"Do you really think you're going anywhere without me?" She asked in mock-hurt. "I'm appalled Chief that you would think that I would abandon you."

The Chief shook his head. "When do we leave sir?"

"We can depart when you're on board, Spartan." The Arbiter said as she looked at Hood. "By your leave shipmaster?"

"Good luck, Chief." Hood said simply as he shook the Chiefs hand.

"Thank you, sir." The Chief replied as he turned to leave before plucking Cortana from the terminal. "At least we can get some quiet before we leave." He said as pocketed the chip.

"This way Spartan, the sooner we leave the better we are." The Arbiter said as she turned and walked out of the room. Unknown to everyone, she had a Sangheili version of a smile on her face. _'Unexpected yet not unwelcome. All that's left is to convince them to stay in the Vadamee keep and then everything will fall into place from there.' _

While the Arbiter was planning, the Chief was following with a frown. _'Something is off with this situation. ONI wants all remaining Spartan II's detained like we are criminals. Something is going on and I don't like it.' _

Little did the Chief know that he would have a new problem to contend with on Sangheilios.

**And I will end it there. It's shorter than the other chapters but I wanted something out as I found out that I wouldn't be around to write this weekend. Same old same though read and review and also on my profile is a picture of what a confirmed Sangheili female looks like. It isn't what the Arbiter looks like however, it is really just so those who don't know can get a look at them.**

**I hope you enjoy it and I will see you all next time my fellow alien lovers! XD**


	5. Chapter 5 Into The Keep

**Ch. 4 Into The Keep**

**Well here is chapter 4 and not much else to say. I hope you all like it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters copyright of Bungie and 343.**

The Chief wasn't too concerned with the fact that they were on a Sangheili cruiser but the rest of the party were nervous. They ranged from a slight bit of paranoia to full blown reluctance to go anywhere on the ship except for their quarters. They personal that made up their party were Gunnery Sergeant Stacker, Private First Class Chips Dubbo and a new Admiral named Luke Selmon. Apparently Selmon was a newly made Admiral that was recommended for this mission by Harper but the Chief highly doubted that story. Selmon kept throwing the Chief glances every now and then as if he was sizing him up.

Cortana noticed this but left it alone for now. "So Chief, any news on the planet?" She asked teasingly.

The Chief didn't even flinch. "Why would I know anything like that? Isn't that your job?" he asked back with a trace of humor.

Cortana would've smirked if she could. The Chief had just walked into it. "Well you would know more, considering how you spend a lot of time with the Arbiter-" She trailed off as Selmon's head shot up but Stacker and Dubbo merely shook theirs.

The Chief walked into that and he knew it. "Cortana, we usually go through the customs and traditions they have that we need to adhere too. I didn't ask her about the planet itself."

Stacker looked like he was slapped. "Chief, you spend hours talking to her and you never once thought about asking her about the terrain and climate?"

The Chief just shrugged. "It slipped my mind, Sergeant."

Now it was Dubbo's turn to look stunned. "Isn't that a first Sergeant? The Chief forgot something?"

The Chief only shook his head. "We will be told when we arrive so don't get worried."

Selmon narrowed his eyes. "Are you fraternizing with possible enemies Spartan?"

"No, sir. I am learning what to do so we don't offend the Sangheili when we land." The Chief said without hesitation.

Selmon didn't look assured. "Be careful Spartan, one might think you are looking to betray your race." He said as he turned back to what he was doing.

Cortana knew something else was up. "Chief-" She started but he cut in.

"I know Cortana; he's not here on Hood's order. He's here for something else and I have a pretty good idea what it is." The Chief replied with a glance at Stacker, who nodded. Selmon needed to be watched and he was almost certain ONI put him here. ONI knew they couldn't arrest him now but they would watch him and report even the slightest problem if it suit their needs of putting him in a cell.

"Does the Arbiter know?" She asked warily.

"She does know and he gets shadowed everywhere he goes." The Chief replied with a smirk. "He doesn't even piss without someone knowing about it."

Cortana barely contained a laugh. "Payback is sweet but you want to know what would really set him off?"

The Chief cocked an eyebrow as the Arbiter walked in. "And what might that be?"

Cortana broadcasted the conversation to the Arbiter. "If you and the Arbiter hit it off."

The Arbiter almost lost her footing when she heard that but the Chief didn't look amused. "Cortana stop planning for that, it isn't going to happen."

"Not with that attitude Chief. Think positive and the outcome will surprise you." Cortana said as the Arbiter regained her footing and cleared her throat.

"We will be exiting slipspace in a few minutes. I assume you know of our planet?" She asked hesitantly.

Stacker spoke first. "The Chief never asked you so we don't know."

The Arbiter inclined her head. "I see, well let me inform you all about while we have time."

She proceeded to give them a rundown of Sangheilios and the climate. It wasn't a very difficult conversation but the fact that they would be sweating bullets during the day followed by near freezing at night wasn't a favorable condition to them. Much of the planet was forests and hills and few parts were sprawling cities with temples as the main focal point. She also discussed the different Keeps and their status in the political arena, which Selmon found highly interesting as he made a note to find out which ones can be leaned on. During a lull, Dubbo had a question. "Do you belong to a Keep?"

The Arbiter glanced down for a moment. "I did before I was declared a heretic for the first ring."

"Oh…uh…sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up." Dubbo said hesitantly.

The Arbiter shook her head. "My former Keep is one of the oldest and most respected. When I was declared a heretic I was cast out of it which made me drop my Keep suffix."

"Suffix?" Stacker asked.

"My full name was Thela 'Vadamee, but when I was cast out it became Thela 'Vadam." She replied solemnly.

"Your parent did nothing?" Dubbo asked.

The Arbiter shook her head again. "My parents were against me enlisting in the Covenant. Most females were told to stay in the Keep until they were of age then the family would find a suitable partner for marriage. The female did have some leeway in who she wants so it wasn't completely forced unless it needed to be. When I was of age I was one of those females that were going to be forced but the Covenant needed troops for the war so I volunteered and my parents were enraged when they heard the news. They never spoke to me after that until I became a Zealot then they were overjoyed at how fast I went through the ranks until it all came crashing down after my failure."

"They exiled you after that?" Cortana asked and the Arbiter nodded.

"They saw my refusal to marry as a blow to their honor but it was my failure that destroyed it. I haven't had contact with them since I became the Arbiter until recently." She replied. "They have offered to reinstatement me due to this but I like my name as it is. I am welcomed back to the Keep and that is where you will be staying during this time."

Selmon spoke up. "You decided to put us somewhere without asking first?"

"Would you rather be in a Keep surrounded by those who would like to slit your throat?" She shot back venomously. It took a lot debating to have them be welcomed into her Keep and she wasn't about to let her own plans go down the tube because of one human.

Selmon back down after that though he wasn't pleased. The Chief was smirking at seeing the Admiral put down but that went away when the Arbiter addressed him. "Spartan, you might want to be careful as your actions have reached home despite our best efforts. Be prepared to be hounded or challenged to fights because of the kills you have."

"There's a reason I hate cameras." The Chief sighed warily.

"Look at it this way, Chief. You might have some adoring fans out there now." Cortana joked and the Arbiter let out a small laugh.

"I would worry about the females more than that." Dubbo joked as well until he saw the Arbiter's face. "Did I say something bad?"

"That is an unfortunate problem that we might not be able to avoid. Some Keeps will do anything to increase their standing and to have a warrior of the Spartans caliber on the planet-" She left the statement hanging but the rest of them could finish it.

"Looks like you need to start hiding Chief." Stacker replied with a straight face.

"I knew this was a bad idea." The Chief replied as a voice over the intercom said that they were exiting slipspace.

"Gather your things, we will be landing soon." The Arbiter said as she walked out.

"I don't envy you Chief. Alien women want you and the men want to kill you." Dubbo replied as he laughed.

The Chief only shook his head. His life just got more complicated and he didn't like it.

-Scene Change-

"Well it looks…..inviting…" Stacker said as they stared at the massive fortress in front of them. It looked like an old earth fortress made of stone but it had plasma weaponry on the walls and Keep guards on patrol on the walls. On the other side of the doors was a big courtyard with what looked like younger Sangheili either sparing or using fake weapons while an instructor mentored them and the other side held various Sangheili in robes selling various wares to the people of the Keep.

"Do you all not have these structures on earth?" The Arbiter asked as they walked through the courtyard. All around them, Sangheili stopped their tasks to look at them and more than one bowed when the Arbiter passed.

"I guess being the Arbiter makes her important here." Cortana said lowly.

"Most likely." The Chief said simply.

"We did back in the Middle Ages but they eventually were phased out when they became too expensive to build and new technology made them obsolete." Dubbo replied in awe.

"I see, well I would love to give you all a tour later but right now we must meet the elders." The Arbiter replied as the main hall doors opened and some older looking Sangheili in grand robes walking toward them. The Arbiter stiffened but didn't make any motion as they walked past and out of the keep.

"Trouble?" The Chief asked as he eyed them.

"Possibly, they are from another Keep but they usually stay to themselves. They were one of the first Keeps to ask for me in marriage but I refused." The Arbiter replied as she gave a huff of disgust. "They thought I would marry simply for wealth or status but I never cared for that. They didn't take the refusal well and it almost led to a Keep war until I joined the Covenant. That they were here isn't a good sign."

The Chief didn't know why, but he didn't like the sound of that. Cortana felt his pace quicken a bit when he heard that and almost laughed. _'The Chief is worried about her and he doesn't even know it. This might be easier than I thought.' _

Selmon looked back at the retreating Sangheili and had a small smirk. _'I think I found some potential allies if I play my cards right. ONI just might be on to something if we can gain a foothold on this planet.' _

**I will end it here for now. We see some filler but we also get inside the Keep and we see potential conflict brewing and the Chief is worried for the Arbiter for once. Some readers don't like slow going romances but they make for awesome stories when done right and so far the overwhelming response has been that this is damn good, so thank you for reading this so far and I hope you stick around for more!**

**Imagine the Keep as an old fortress style wall around a small college campus just made from stone and mortar.**

**Well until next time my fellow readers and Halo lovers!**


	6. Chapter 6 Problems Abound

**Ch. 6 Problems Abound**

**Chapter 6 and not much else to say except thank you for the reviews so far and I still need 3 more names for my Skyrim story. Details regarding the submissions are on the bottom of chapter 5 if you want to take part in it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are copyright of Bungie and 343.**

"What do you mean they want to resubmit their request for me?!" The Arbiter practically yelled at her father.

Her father looked down in sadness. "It would be for the best daughter."

The Arbiter didn't look placated in the slightest. "The best for whom? The Keep disowned me when I lost command and you haven't spoken to me again until a month ago, now all of a sudden you want to decide my future for me again?"

Her father didn't even meet her face again. "You are the Arbiter and you command great respect daughter, but the older Keeps will be hesitant to allow you to remain in your post. That is why we are giving the offer some thought."

The Arbiter narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Behind my back and without my consent, mother would be ashamed with you."

Her father gave a very visible flinch. "She would be more upset that you are not following my wish." He said but it was hollow and with no bite.

"Was it your wish to sell her to another Keep?" The Arbiter challenged and the elders around them stiffened. "You sold her to another Keep after you had me and then we get a report that she had an "accident" upon arriving, you sent her away because she would've stopped you from doing this."

One of the Elders stood. "Watch your tone girl, you were disowned and are only back because of your role."

The Arbiter's response was igniting her Energy Sword and facing the Elder. "Do not tempt me old one."

"Enough." Her father said weakly. "Daughter please, you have yet to see who they are offering this time. Please just consider the male they have asked for you to wed."

The Arbiter snorted and extinguished her sword but kept the handle out. "Some son of an Elder, no doubt."

Her father nodded. "He is a great warrior who has won many battles in the war. His feats aren't close to yours but he is very influential and strong enough to protect you."

The Arbiter's eyes narrowed again. "You mean influential and strong to keep me under his and his Keeps heels. My position would become nothing more than a figurehead to them and you know it."

Her father flinched again. "It would bring us strong children." He said weakly.

"You know the females in that Keep are treated worse than garbage and yet you will still ask me to go there?" She shot back angrily.

"It's an unfortunate yet necessary part of our culture." Her father replied.

The Arbiter switched tactics. "What is his name?" She asked with a sinking feeling in her gut.

Her father only looked up at her for a second before looking down and replying. "Kevam 'Mulamaa"

The Arbiter was silent for a moment before her rage took over and her sword flared again. "That disgrace to our race!? Do you even have a slightest bit of knowledge of what he has done?"

"His record and feats in combat-" Her father began only to be cut off by her.

"Are severely out matched by the number of disciplinary records against him during the war. The only thing that kept him in the Covenant was the fact that his Keep was one of the Covenant's most influential and wealthy backers." The Arbiter shouted.

"Surely you are merely joking." One Elder said but went silent when her glare and sword turned to him.

"He raped prisoners for no reason other than his own amusement, he killed any troops under his command simply for sport, he fought with his superiors at any opportunity, he abandoned his troops when they were losing and he insulted his brothers simply because he didn't get his way." The Arbiter shot back.

"He lost his arm in battle daughter, surely you can take some sympathy for him?" Her father suggested hopefully but was shot down by her next statement.

The Arbiter threw her head back and laughed. "Do you know how the humans knew where he was? It's really quite simple, we gave them his location and offered him as a gift. The fact he escaped is saddening but to know that he lost an arm was more than gratifying for the rest of the Sangheili."

"You sold out one of your own!" One Elder shouted.

"We all did and none of us regret it. He was a disgrace to the Sangheili and it was elating to see what had happened to him and even better was the fact that he was able to not kill any human in that ambush. He merely ran away from them like a coward." The Arbiter replied in a mocking tone.

"Regardless, he will be here tomorrow and as per tradition you will fight him. Should he win then you have no choice but to agree." Her father said.

"He will not win, I can guarantee that." She said as she turned around and walked out of the chamber.

"The nerve of that child." An Elder said but her father shook his head sadly.

"She is correct." Her father replied. "She has been training since day one and her numerous feats and unmatched experience in combat practically guarantees her victory. She has even faced down the Parasite and come away unscathed from battle reports."

"Then why did you agree to this?" One Elder asked him.

"I wanted to see if she was still defiant of me and it seems that she is. She still resents me to this day but she is my daughter and I still love her." Her father said. "Regardless of her thoughts of me and my actions I still love her and her mother would be proud of her after kicking me around the Keep for the things I have done." He finished with a small laugh.

-Scene Change-

The Arbiter stalked the halls in irritation at the latest development. _'How dare they go behind my back and decide my future for me! I will not allow this to stand!'_

"Bad day at the office?" Cortana said in her comm.

The Arbiter snorted. "Worse than bad, they wish for me to marry the biggest disgrace to our race in history and expect me to be overjoyed at it."

Cortana sighed. "No matter where you go, politics are just as bad."

The Arbiter nodded in agreement. "I got a lot of built up frustration now."

Cortana smirked evilly. "Spar with John and show them just who you have an eye on?"

The Arbiter smirked back. "I could do with a good fight. How is it going on your end?"

Cortana sighed. "Unless you come out and say you are courting him, I doubt he will know. He isn't dense but his training is overriding everything else."

The Arbiter huffed in irritation. "If his training wasn't so emotion breaking then he would be mine by now."

"Agreed but for now just keep doing your part and I will handle it on my end. Go ask him for a spar and see how it goes." Cortana said as the Arbiter proceeded to the human quarters.

-Scene Change-

"Another fight?" The Chief asked with a raised eyebrow.

The Arbiter nodded. "We are tied at the moment but our last one was cut short due to time. I am asking for a rematch."

The Chief thought about it for a moment. _'It helps with keeping my skills sharp.' _"Alright, where and when?"

"The courtyard in 10 minutes." She said as she walked away and the Chief swore he saw her walk away with a slight sway in her hips.

"What was that about?" The Chief asked as Dubbo and Stacker smacked their heads and Cortana sighed.

"Just go get ready, Chief." Cortana said as she huffed in irritation. Not for the first time in their partnership was she cursing his training. Necessary for the war but now it was only a hindrance to her goal.

-Scene Change-

The Chief and the Arbiter stood in a sparring ring in the courtyard. Instructors were shuffling younglings into the front for a learning point and servants and scholars were anxious to see how Earth's strongest matched up to their own. Even some of the Elders came to observe the fight and see just how powerful the Spartan was.

The two fighters ignored the crowd around them and assumed a fighting stance. As if on cue they both rushed each other and began their intricate fight turned dance. The Chief wasn't confined by small space this time but he couldn't take advantage due to the Arbiter's natural flexibility and grace in her movements.

An hour into the fight and neither seemed willing to back down despite the sweat that running down their skin. They merely glanced each other before engaging again with the Chief throwing a punch that was blocked before parrying a sweep and turning it into a throw that the Arbiter turned into a roundhouse kick that was aimed at his face.

The Arbiter smirked as her kick connected but was quickly planted into the ground when the Chief grabbed her other foot and threw her to the ground. Before she could react he was on top of her and had a fist coming down on here that she blocked and rolled so she was now over him. "Give up?" She said with a smirk on her face.

"Not quite." The Chief replied before grabbing her arm and taking advantage of her surprise and throwing her off him with a considerable amount of force.

They both stood back up panting and sweaty and yet neither wanted to stop. The Chief was having fun and the Arbiter was letting off some much needed frustration at the day's events and was enjoying the Chief's company.

"One more shot?" The Chief asked her with a grin.

"One more shot." The Arbiter replied.

They began to run at each other and the Arbiter sent an uppercut to his jaw while the Chief sent a haymaker to her cheek and in the span of a few seconds they were both on the ground panting.

"Good…fight?" The Chief asked between breaths.

"A very good fight…" The Arbiter replied with tired sigh.

Servants came around aided them both up and get them medical attention while the rest of the crowd applauded the show they had just witnessed. The Chief had a small smile at the Sangheili instructors asking star struck pupils about the fight and what they could have done differently. It reminded him of how some of his instructors taught by example in his training and always offered advice on how to do better.

The Arbiter felt very tired and yet very happy at how the fight went. She not only got to work out her anger at her father and the Keep Elders but she also got to showcase more of her skill to her would-be suitor. She felt very confident in her ability and after tomorrow's fight she would show the Elders and her father that she would only allow one person to have the honor of her partner.

In the Council Room overlooking the courtyard, the Arbiter's father watched the entire fight. "You are not making things easy my daughter. This won't go unchallenged but I hope you succeed and can eventually forgive an old father's mistakes." He turned his attention to the Chief. "I hope you can protect her from what is about to come."

In another room, Selmon was speaking to his superior. "I think I have found a good backer if we can play our cards right."

"Are you sure of this Admiral." A feminine voice said back from a small monitor.

"100% sure ma'am. All it would take is some underhanded dealing and we can gain a foothold on this planet." Selmon replied in acknowledgement.

"Proceed as you can Admiral but don't forget about the Spartan. Getting him extricated back to Earth is our main priority right now and you can't afford to mess that up." The voice spoke back as the comm was shut off.

"No worries ma'am…..I'm the best at what I do." He said as he walked past two dead guards.

**Phew that was a fun chapter to write. I apologize if the Chief seems a little OOC but I'm trying to change his views slowly but every now and then he will surprise you all.**

**We see the Arbiter put her foot down and we get a couple of problems arising that might end up derailing the Arbiter's plan but remember the saying "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" or in this case a female Sangheili scorned.**

**I did make up the part about the Arbiter's mother to give her some kind of tragic past and a reason to despise her father so my apologies if it offends anyone.**

**Read and review and I will see you all later!**


	7. Chapter 7 Annulment and Comfort

**Ch. 7 An Annulment and Comfort**

**Well here is chapter 7 and the spar between the Arbitress (as some people have taken to calling her) and Kevam. I know what you're thinking…one-armed Sangheili vs the Arbiter is unfair but that's the way things go sadly.**

**My update schedule is one guarantee update and one possible sporadic. This week is Halo and next is Skyrim again encase you all are still confused. The stories will alternate each week and my Destiny story will be during my Halo week and my LoS story will be during my Skyrim story.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters copyright of Bungie and 343.**

"I grow tired of waiting father." The Arbiter growled at as she stood in front of the Keep. She had been waiting for a couple hours now and every minute she spent here was another wasted in getting the Spartan's attention. "If he is not here soon then I am declaring this fight a forfeit on his part."

"Please be patient my daughter. I am sure he will be here." Her father said though he was also beginning to lose faith. "He will be here."

As soon as he finished talking, a small band of Sangheili appeared over the ridge and among them was a one-armed Sangheili who looked like he was about vomit in disgust. The sight of him made the Arbiter want to shove her fist down his throat but she had to show restraint or else she risked being disqualified before their fight.

"Welcome brother's…come inside and see our hospitality." Her father said with a sweep of his arm but Kevam only scoffed.

"I have not come here for hospitality, I have come here for my wife." He said as he glared at her and she glared straight back.

"Be careful or you may lose your other arm Kevam. I still hold a high rank over you and the rest of our forces won't hesitate to follow my command." The Arbiter sneered as Kevam growled.

"Not for long you won't." He said under his breath as they were lead into the Keep. He gave a small glance to a hill overlooking the Keep where a sniper was hidden. Unknown to them, the Chief also saw the glance from the balcony overlooking the Keep and knew that something was amiss. "Cortana, I'm going out to check something. I'll let you know what I find." He said as he walked off the balcony.

"Give em hell Chief." She said with a grin. _'Maybe I don't have to do anything at all if he keeps this up. He's worried for her and doesn't even know it.'_

-Scene Change-

"The rules are thus: The first to admit defeat or is knocked out of the ring loses, any cheating will be seen as a disqualification and no unfair tactics may be employed. This is an honorable occasion to determine if Thela 'Vadamee is able to prove her worth of Kevam 'Mulamaa." The referee stated as the two warriors faced each other while The Arbiter threw a glare at the ref.

"I am Thela 'Vadam now as I am not a member of the Keep any longer." She said heatedly as her attention went back to Kevam. "And I'm going to enjoy tearing your other arm from its socket."

Kevam only growled before rushing at her as soon as the ref signaled for the start. The Arbiter effortlessly dodged the punch and only stepped back as he kicked at her and she gave a mocking snort. "Is that the best you got? You were one of the fiercest in the Covenant if memory serves….then again that was against your own soldiers and not the humans." She mocked as his raged boiled over.

"I'll make you regret those words when you are tied to a post in my Keep's courtyard by your neck!" He howled as he charged at her intent on taking her head off but the Arbiter was too agile and she effortlessly avoided each attack and did nothing to counter him.

"The Demon fought better than you; at least he gave me a worthy challenge." She said nonchalantly as Kevam let out a loud roar and waited. "Is that all you had?" The Arbiter said after a few minutes of waiting. "I have better things to do then waste my time fighting you."

Kevam only charged again with more intensity and finally landed a blow on the Arbiter but his small victory was short-lived as the Arbiter swung her foot around and hit him directly on the side of the head and he dropped to the ground. The Arbiter only smirked as he shook his head to clear it and glared at her but his mind was in turmoil. _'She should be wounded by now! Why isn't she on the ground bleeding out?!' _He thought rapidly as he charged at her intent on taking her out.

The Arbiter knew she was getting dangerously close to edge of the ring but she had played Kevam right into her hands as he charged at her one final time and she moved to the right at the last second and Kevam had to stop short of the edge of the ring. He lost his balance when the Arbiter gave him a push with her foot and he fell outside the ring.

"Winner by ring out is Thela 'Vadam." The ref exclaimed as the crowd laughed at Kevam's humiliation. He had lost by being kicked out of the ring and was only able to land a single blow on his opponent, a complete disgrace for one of his stature.

"Looks like my win and as a result…..our engagement is hereby annulled." She said smugly as the Sangheili around her cheered at her well-thought out plan. "You lost the very moment you charged at me like a Brute. You played into my hands every bit of the fight and never even knew it; your little surprise also was taking care of." She said as she pointed to a bounded Sangheili sneering at everyone around him.

Thoroughly humiliated and found out, Kevam took a dagger from his armor and threw it at the Arbiter faster than any of the crowd could react. If he couldn't have his way then he would deny the Sangheili their strongest warrior! It seemed as if everything slowed down as the dagger went for the Arbiter but she never lost her mocking expression as a very quick and very human hand grabbed the blade and held it inches from the Arbiter's face.

The Chief held the dagger in his hand and ignored the blood dropping from it as he handed it to the Arbiter, who took it still with a smug expression. "Even your last ditch effort has failed Kevam….leave the Keep or else you will be attacked." She said as his people helped him to his feet and they walked out angrily but not before spitting at the Keep's walls.

"That was…..interesting." Cortana said before her attention went to the Chief. "So what made you do that Chief?" She asked smugly as the Chief shrugged.

"I don't really know but it seemed like the right thing to do." The Chief said as the Arbiter nodded her head.

"You have good reflexes Spartan." She said as he shrugged again and she did a slight grimace at his rebuttal. _'If I find out who trained him, they will have my foot shoved in their ass!' _

"I am proud of you my daughter." Her father said as she glared at him. "Your engagement is indeed annulled but I do have another announcement."

The Arbiter narrowed her eyes as her fist tightened. "And that is….." She trailed off dangerously as he cleared his throat.

"I have not been a great father to you and I was an even worse mate to your mother. I gave her away for nothing more than a small gain in influence and I pay for that every day I am alive. I can never earn your forgiveness but it is my hope you can give me some measure of peace in my life." He said as he approached her and grasped her fingers. "You may pursue whoever you wish and I will support you all the way, even if they are not of our Keep." He said as he discreetly glanced at the Chief that the Arbiter caught.

"I can't forgive you father, I don't think I ever can." She said as she walked out of the courtyard while her father only put his head down.

"Do what you will." He said before he too departed and the crowd dispersed.

"Seems politics are the same everywhere Sergeant." Dubbo said as he shook his head.

"They are the same anywhere you go Private. One of the reasons most people hate them." Stacker said as he too left with Dubbo behind him.

"Maybe you should go talk to her Chief….I think you're the only one she will say anything nice to." Cortana said without any teasing this time. Her friend needed some comfort and the Chief was the only one she would talk to on a normal level.

"Alright…..but I don't what I will do." He said as he walked out of the courtyard.

-Scene Change-

After getting some directions from a servant the Chief stood outside the door to where the Arbiter slept. He knocked on the door and waited for some kind of sound and a minute later she opened the door with a sigh. "Should've known you would come…please come in." She said as she ushered him inside.

Her room was very bare save for a small bed, a few essentials for cleaning and a small closet that held various robes and clothing for special occasions. The walls were a dull grey but with how the rest of the Keep looked that was pretty standard, the Chief assumed.

"Why did you come here?" The Arbiter said as she sat in a small chair near a window. The Chief actually noticed that she had removed her armor and was only wearing a silver and black robe that looked a little bulky on her but the Chief swore he saw a small protrusion on her chest area. The Sangheili armor did well to hide certain aspects but the robes didn't have the same courtesy it seemed.

"Cortana asked me to check up on you…..see how things were going." The Chief said simply though the Arbiter sighed at his blunt answer.

'_It couldn't have been himself just wanting to be nice could it?' _She thought sadly but perked up a little since he was here after all. "I am just a little…..what's the word you humans use….depressed at my father's actions. He sold my mother because he thought it would help but it did nothing but cost me my mother. I loathe him and yet I can't help but pity him for the frail old fool he has become." She explained as she gazed out the window.

The Chief remained silent as she continued to speak to him. He couldn't understand what she went through as his parents died before he even had a chance to know them but to hear her speak of what she witnessed during her younger years lent credit to the fact that she was like any other child except the fact she was of a different species.

During a pause he had the chance to speak. "I won't say I know how you feel because I don't and I am not the right person to ask for advice about this. I have been blindly following my orders since I was first brought into the war and I was trained to be the best and I was…until Cortana picked me as her Spartan. I thought I knew how to get the job done but eventually Cortana got me to stop being so cold and open up. It wasn't easy and it still isn't…but she asked me something a while ago." He said as he looked as his hand.

"What did she ask you Spartan?" The Arbiter said in a low voice.

"She said that she wonders who the machine between me and her is. My first response was going to be her but I stopped myself before I said anything. She might be an A.I. but I was the one who was just focused on mission completion over anything else. A machine would send its people to do something regardless of how many went down and I did the same thing. I ordered Marines to charge and charge they did and I watched them all get cut down without a trace of emotion on my face." The Chief explained to her as he looked out the window at the expanse of mountains and trees. He continued his speech while she listened to every word.

"It sounds like you already have your answer Spartan." She said after he finished. "Your own training won't let you admit it but you already know. I was the same way as a Zealot, I craved the glory and the power and I used my soldiers without a second thought and I lead by fear and not respect. We are alike in many ways Spartan and that is why we worked well together during the Battle of the Ark." She said as she too gazed out the window. "If push came to shove, I will always be guarding your back if you need it."

The Chief nodded at that. "Likewise, Arbiter." The Chief said using her title. She only did a slight twitch as she had hoped he would say her name but for right now it was a good start. He was warming up to her and that was what she wanted. She reached out her hand and gave his a slight squeeze of compassion before pulling it away and she had to turn away to hide a blush. _'Cortana said a little compassion goes a long way and it seems she is correct. It won't be long before I announce my intent to my father.' _

**I will end it right here and not much to say except we saw a humiliation and the Chief protect the Arbiter even if he didn't know why he did it. Slowly but surely we are getting to romance and I really wanted to inject some fluff into the story so I made up the whole bedroom scene in my head for the last couple days and this is what I got. Not a true fluff as it mainly just them talking about the past and the war but I did give you all some fluff. Also, for those that will be skeptical about the fight the Arbiter would've won even if I wrote that Kevam beat her simple because of the sniper he had stationed in the hills that the Chief caught. The rules were no cheating and he did so he would've lost either way lol.**

**Read and review if you would be so kind and this story is only a few hundred views from breaking 10k and that is a hell of a lot but A New Beginning has 21k and still climbing high every day so it will take a while to reach that. I will think about updating A New Destiny this week as well but we'll see how the week goes.**

**Till next time my fellow alien/human pairing lovers! ^^**


	8. Chapter 8 Shock and Awe

**Ch. 8 Shock and Awe**

**Well I won't lie to you all; this story is actually coming to a close pretty quickly. I only had it pegged as a one-shot before maybe a five chapter and now well it's turned into a short story but it is worth every view it has so far. Don't worry, we still have a little ways to go though and for those who are asking; the Arbiter will be announcing her intent to the Chief sometime soon.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are copyright of Bungie and 343.**

"For attempting to kill our most honored warrior and trying to disrupt an honored duel, your punishment is death." An Elder said as the bound Sangheili only let out an angry growl before he was forced out of the room.

"This information is most disturbing." One said worriedly as the others nodded.

"They would not only cheat in a duel but to use many underhanded tactics just to put our own warrior out of commission is even worse." Another stated as they had learned that the bullet and knife were coated in poison. "The Spartan was lucky he had an AI that forced him to seek treatment after he talked with the Arbiter or else he would've had to lose his hand."

"Speaking of which, it seems that against our efforts the word that we have the Demon within our Keep has spread. We have received a few duel requests from interested parties." A third Elder said but the Arbiter's father only shook his head.

"He isn't our warrior so it isn't our duty to decide to accept or deny them." He said as he remembered his daughter's words to him.

_-Flashback-_

"_You have made your choice then." Her father said as he let out a sigh. "Why must you make everything so difficult daughter?"_

"_Because it is my choice to make and as a result of the duel I reserve the right to choose my betrothed." The Arbiter said as she glared at him. "I will be pursuing this regardless of what you say."_

"_The other Keeps know about the Spartan being here, they will be sending their own fighters to face him and you know that quite a few of those will be female." He warned her but she only snarled._

"_They may come but they will fall, I will make sure of it." The Arbiter said as she walked away without another word._

_-Flashback end-_

"We will offer the Demon the chance to face them and see how well each Keep fares against the human's best fighter." The first Elder said as they adjourned the meeting.

-Scene Change-

"How is the hand Spartan?" The Arbiter asked as she glanced at his now bandaged hand.

"It stings a little bit but the medics say that it will be fine in a day." The Chief replied as they walked along a hall. They had no real destination as they were just wondering around while talking about the past and the war. The Arbiter never tried to hide the number of Humans she had killed and the Chief did the same for the number of Sangheili he had left on the ground and lifeless. It was part of the process to get over that kind of stuff but it held a deeper meaning for the Arbiter; she wanted to earn his trust and there was no better way than to lay out everything about her with no secrets.

"I hear that you have accepted an offer to fight one of the warriors challenging you." The Arbiter said as she watched him closely.

"It's considered an insult not to, right?" The Chief asked as the Arbiter nodded.

"Normally yes but remember that you aren't a Sangheili so the normal rules don't apply to you and you are not a member of the Keep either." She said as they both turned a corner into another hallway. "You can't be forced into doing anything here."

"It helps by knowing who would support peace talks and if it fighting them helps then I'll do it." The Chief said with an even tone.

"We have many allies but it's our enemies that we must watch for. They are hidden right now but I think that they will show themselves soon." The Arbiter warned him.

"Nothing can be done until they do." The Chief replied, waving off her concern. "The peace delegation will be arriving in a month."

"I have heard but do you think it's too soon? The war is over but hostilities still remain and it might cause more harm than good." She said with a hint of worry but it wasn't for the approaching political storm. The Spartan was here until the peace talks concluded and then he would leave for Earth and she would be left behind.

"The sooner it's done, the less time any dissention can happen." The Chief replied while missing the Arbiter's wince.

'_He doesn't care that our time is growing short.' _She thought sadly until she mentally kicked herself. _'You're the Arbiter for crying out loud, you stared down the Parasite and stood against an entire army of Flood, you can tell one male that you are interested!' _

"Are there any keeps in particular besides the one you fought that we need to be wary over?" The Chief asked her and she shrugged.

"That one was the worst but there are a few that we need to watch. The Relakaa Keep were very outspoken against Humanity but that was all they had, the Valamuu were on the fence but they do hold grudges and the Humans did kill a few of their numbers, we might be ok with the Telemee Keep but they do have some backbone when threatened but that's it. The Vadumee has been a steadfast ally despite mine and Rtas's rocky past."

"The Shipmaster?" The Chief asked as she nodded.

"He is tough but he looks after his soldiers' wellbeing; it was one of the reasons we didn't get along at first. As a Zealot I didn't have many options other than mission completion and he always made sure his Ops troops came back alive while I was an "at any cost" commander." She explained solemnly. "As I said, it is different but we respect each other and that was one of the reasons why he listens to me."

"He was on the list of challengers." The Chief said as the Arbiter huffed in humor.

"I wouldn't have doubted it; he has wanted to have a go at you ever since you decimated his Spec Ops unit on the _Truth and Reconciliation." _She said as the Chief shook his head. "Anyone else of note?"

"One Sangheili was strongly presented; do you know a Kela 'Mesumaa?" The Chief asked and the Arbiter stopped walking and tilted her head. "Is everything ok?" He asked as he turned around.

"She was one of my closest friends when we were young. I went to War College while she was privately trained and became Captain of her Keep's guard." The Arbiter said in confusion. "Did they say why she was that willing to face you?"

"It was explained to me that they wanted a "potential joining" match. Any idea what that is?" The Chief asked and the Arbiter went from confused to shocked and then fearful.

'_No….anything but that!' _She thought frantically. _'Gods help me by making it anything else except that!' _

-With Cortana-

"Uh-oh…this is not good anymore." Cortana said as she had been eavesdropping the whole time before she heard what the Chief said. "Come on girl…you have to tell him soon!"

-Back with the Chief and the Arbiter-

"Are you sure you're ok?" The Chief asked as the Arbiter's brain tried to kick start.

"I'm fine." She said rather quickly. "I need to go…..I have to inspect my armor." She turned around and walked away rather quickly as the Chief only looked at her leave in confusion.

"Is that normal for Sangheili females?" The Chief asked a passing servant and pointed towards the retreating Arbiter.

"For a normal female, no but for her, yes. She has never been a normal Sangheili female and this sort of behavior isn't new to the Keep. She can be calm and collected one moment and the next she could ripping arms off in a sparring match." The servant explained. "She has always had some kind of emotional instability but considering her childhood, it was to be expected."

"She wasn't disqualified from entering the Covenant?" The Chief asked in confusion. Even the UNSC with its extremely loose recruitment policies had turned away personnel who had a hard time keeping their emotions in check in some situations.

The servant shook his head. "The Prophets requested any Sangheili capable of fighting regardless of their limitations or problems at the time. The only exception was young ones but they were being trained at the time anyway so it was expected of them to enter the service."

"I see…..thank you for your time." The Chief said as the servant bowed before he walked away. "I guess Cortana would have a better explanation then." With that, the Chief walked back to his appointed room deep in thought the entire time.

-With the Arbiter-

'_Why did they put that match forward and why did she accept?! Why did he accept it without speaking to me about the outcome of the match?!' _The Arbiter's mind was going a hundred miles a minute as she walked quickly to the council hall and threw the door open.

"What have you all done?!" She practically yelled and startled the Elders having their usual afternoon meeting.

"Daughter?" Her father asked as he saw her eyes flashing dangerously and her hands were twitching as she resisted her instinct to grab her sword and ignite it.

"You offered the Spartan a chance to fight another warrior from another Keep and a female warrior at that! Do you have any idea what the implications mean if the human wins?!" She shouted as they all nodded their heads.

"We need the humans as allies if we are to rebuild our war-torn fleets and when we pitched the idea of gaining allies through combat, the Spartan accepted without a second thought. If that means that he needs to use secondary means as well then we know for a fact that he would do it if it meant humanity was safe." Her father said sadly.

"Out of all the warriors you could offer him to fight…why her?" The Arbiter spoke in a dangerously low voice.

"She had volunteered for it and the 'Mesumaa Keep has been growing in power in recent years. She is also at the marrying age and is an extremely capable warrior, as you yourself can attest to." An Elder said as the Arbiter growled. Her friend had joined the Covenant only for a brief time before she was relieved due to disagreements with her superiors but during that brief time, she had fought her friend in a spar and had been backed into many corners during the fight and as a Zealot being taken to that extreme in a fight with a Minor was disturbing.

"When will they arrive?" The Arbiter asked with a snarl.

"In one week for a greeting ceremony with the fight taking place the next day." Her father said with calm in his tone. "Please stay calm daughter, these things are unpredictable."

'_Unpredictable but easy to beat if you know the rules.' _She thought before she suddenly smirked. _'All it takes is for someone to either overrule the challenge or if another steps up at the same time and declares their interest.' _"If you wish to force my hand then I will gladly show it." She said as confused expressions appeared on their faces.

"What do you mean daughter?" Her father asked as he was completely and utterly confused on his daughter's statement and his council was in a similar state. In the years to come he would always look back on this moment as a proud father when his daughter finally got the one thing she wanted since the war's conclusion but for right now, her next statement dropped the entire room into dead silence.

"I am declaring my interest in the Spartan and will duel Kela 'Mesumaa for the right to be his life partner!" She stated and the room went cold as ice.

**And the challenge has been thrown! How will the Chief react to the news and will this turn out good? Find out next time on Were It So Easy!**

**A New Destiny will probably not be updated this week but don't count that out as inspiration strikes me at the weirdest of times. My Chrysalis backstory is being written and should be out in the next week or so and maybe the next chapter of Love of Dragonesses too. Dovahkiin will be out by next Friday as usual.**

**Until next time fellow readers!**


	9. Chapter 9 Surprise Surprise

**Ch. 9 Surprise Surprise**

**Merry Christmas to all and I hope you enjoy my Christmas double header! I have updated both Love of Dragonesses and Were It So Easy for your viewing pleasures as a Holiday gift to all my readers. I hope this makes all of your holidays extra enjoyable**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are copyright of Bungie and 343. **

"Not really the way I would've handled that but you got the job done at least." Cortana said as the Arbiter sat in her room.

"I had no choice in the matter. If the Spartan lost then you know the consequences and that was a risk I wasn't willing to take." The Arbiter replied as she cleaned her armor.

"How do you think the Chief will take it?" Cortana asked curiously.

"You haven't told him?" The Arbiter asked in shock.

"That would be your job isn't it? My part in this was done by getting out rumors that the Demon was on your planet and in your Keep. Your job was to court him." Cortana said smugly.

"And I have been." The Arbiter replied sternly but Cortana only sighed.

"You never told him about that custom nor have you even hinted the fact that you were. Face it; the most revered warrior in the Sangheili culture is scared." Cortana said as the Arbiter flared up.

"I am not scared!" The Arbiter replied hotly. "I jumped straight into the Flood infested High Charity to drag you and the Spartan out!"

"And yet you can't tell one person you want to be with them. The mighty Arbiter is acting like a shy schoolgirl." Cortana said as she continued to press the Arbiter's buttons.

"I am not shy nor am I a coward!" The Arbiter said as she leapt to her feet.

"Then you will tell the Chief by the end of the day." Cortana said as the Arbiter paled.

'_She tricked me!' _The Arbiter thought wildly. _'The damn AI tricked me!' _

"Have fun telling him!" Cortana said cheekily as she switched off the comm after hearing the Arbiter scream in anger. "I love messing with people." She said to herself as she saved the memory of the Arbiter's stunned face.

-Scene Change-

"Any idea where the Admiral went?" Stacker asked the Chief who shook his head.

"No and that is what is beginning to worry me." The Chief replied.

"I knew there was something wrong with him. Gut instincts have never been wrong before and they started going off as soon as he stepped on the cruiser." Dubbo replied as he scarfed down a field ration kit.

"What exactly is he trying to accomplish?" Stacker asked as the Chief shrugged.

"I don't know but Cortana said that she noticed him speaking a lot to those Sangheili from the Mulamaa Keep. Whatever it was, it was good enough for them to actually consider as they left with considerably less angry faces." Dubbo replied as he finished his rations. "Still, he's walking on a very thin line."

"I seriously doubt he cares if he's on a thin line Private." Stacker responded with a small sigh. "Ten-to-one says he tries to interrupt the peace talks."

The Chief gave a rare smile. "And we would have to be idiots to accept that bet."

Stacker cursed under his breath. "Damn, I thought I made an easy hundred bucks."

The Chief shook his head as his ears picked up what Stacker said. "I hear that you know." Stacker only shrugged in response.

-Scene Change-

The Arbiter paced her room like an animal as she contemplated her next move. "Come on you can think of something!" She said to herself. "All it takes is for you to go to him and tell him." She snorted. "Easier said than done."

"Then just tell him my daughter." Her father said from the door and she was startled out of her routine.

"It's not that simple father; he's not even part of our species." The Arbiter replied as her father sat on her bed.

"When has anything ever stopped you from doing what you want?" Her father asked curiously.

"Apparently now something does and it's a big one." She said warily. "He would never accept this."

"Daughter, I have spent many long years in the political ring and there is always a way to make people accept what you want them to." he said as he rubbed his mandibles.

"Politics won't help me here." she huffed angrily. "I'm a warrior not a politician."

Her father shook his head. "I am not talking about politics but that is one path you could go. What I am saying is that you can use words to give someone an impression of a path you want them to take."

The Arbiter gave her father her attention. "And how am I suppose to do that? According to his AI, the only thing he knows is protecting humanity at any cost."

Her father gave a knowing smile. "And that is where you can give him an impression of where their best interests lie."

The Arbiter's face scrunched up. _'He protects humanity and hasn't been afraid to take a plasma round for them. His mission was…..is to defend humanity at any cost, even if it means his own thoughts.' _she thought intensely. _'He protects humanity and will give up his…..own…..' _she stopped as realization dawned on her. _'Make it seem like this would be in the best interest of humanity for him to accept! He gets cornered and his own training would make enforce the opinion.'_

"I see you understand now." her father said as she nodded.

"It's a low and underhanded move though, I am not sure my pride could handle that." she said quietly as her father put an arm around her.

"Sometimes the best way isn't the easiest or the right way but sometimes there isn't another way." he replied sadly.

"I understand….." she replied uncertainly.

"That's my girl…..your mother would be proud of you." he replied as he got up and walked to the door.

"Tell me one thing." She said quietly and he stopped. "Why did you do it?"

Her father looked down and let some tears fall. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Was all he said before he walked out.

The Arbiter watched him go and couldn't find a retort. She narrowed her eyes at her now empty doorway. _'Something is wrong with this. What happened while I was away at training?' _

-Scene Change-

It was late in the day and the Chief was returning to his room when he found the Arbiter leaning against the wall in front of the door. "I was wondering when you would show up Spartan."

"You were waiting for me?" he asked as she nodded.

"I was wondering if you wished to walk with me?" she asked hesitantly.

The Chief regarded her for a minute, as if he was deciding if she was joking or not. "Alright, I don't see why not."

The Arbiter nodded and began to walk away and the Chief followed. The walked for a while in silence, the only sound came from the sounds of their footsteps through the hall.

"You want something don't you?" The Chief asked suddenly as they stopped in front of a window.

The Arbiter flinched but she held out. "I do but going about it isn't easy."

"What is it?" The Chief asked bluntly.

The Arbiter gulped. "If you had to engage in certain activities to secure humanity's future…..would you accept it knowing that you would be required to give up your own feelings?"

The Chief nodded without hesitation. "My mission has always been humanity's survival at any cost."

"So then if you had to accept a life partner, you would do it?" she asked as she tensed up.

"A life partner?" The Chief asked questioningly

"A mate…..or a wife as you humans call it." The Arbiter responded.

The Chief narrowed his eyes. "My duty comes before anything."

It was now or never. "I have challenged your opponent to a duel."

"And?" The Chief asked.

The Arbiter sighed. "If I win then I will have earned the right to be your life partner. In order to help bring our alliance together, I am challenging you for the right to be your mate."

The Chief prided himself on never being able to be shocked or stunned and he lived by that. He didn't even flinch when it came to the flood or when he faced a brute in hand-to-hand combat. For some reason, that one statement made his eyes go wide and his brain to stop.

**And cut! Well that was a hoot; the Arbitress had finally revealed it and the Chief is stunned speechless. What did he just step into now? Find out next time.**

**I hope you all like the chapter and like I said, I am trying not to make them too OOC but things have to give and the Chief is learning to open himself up and it had shown throughout the story so far. Next chapter we get to the meet and greet and the Arbiter faces down her friend once more.**

**Stay tuned and I hope you all enjoy the double header! Happy Holidays and see you all in 2015!**


	10. Chapter 10 A Grand Meeting

**Ch. 10 A Grand Meeting**

**Well here we go as the Arbiter/tress reunites with an old friend and the Chief meets his opponent in his typical fashion. **

**I do need to reiterate this: my schedule is on a bi-weekly basis. This week is Were It So Easy, next week is You Are Mine, Dovahkiin and then back to Were It. That's how it has been and will be for now so please note that. It gives me time to work on other stuff and time to plan my chapters so that they continue to be good quality that you all enjoy reading.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are copyright of Bungie and 343.**

"This was your idea wasn't it?" The Chief asked Cortana as he sat in his assigned room. His mind was repeatedly going over the talk he had the day before and he really couldn't wrap his head around it.

Cortana appeared on a portable terminal on a desk with a smug grin. "You wound me John…how could you believe that I had anything to do with this?"

The Chief merely raised an eyebrow. "That grin that you can't seem to hide tells it all."

Cortana for her part, laughed. "It wasn't all my idea you know. The Arbiter had her part to play in this entire scheme as well."

"And I was targeted why?" The Chief asked.

Cortana shrugged. "Considering Sangheili are attracted to strong people and you and the Arbiter had your constant arguments and battles, I guess you could say that you grew on her."

"What makes you think I know anything about this? I'm a soldier Cortana and that's all I'll ever be." The Chief replied smoothly as Cortana frowned.

"John." she said softly. "You've come a long way since the _Autumn _and I know that this is new but you can do it. Think of it as a new experience that your training won't help with; you need to think on your feet now and do what it seems best. If not for yourself or her then for humanity and its best interests."

The Chief fell silent in contemplation. He couldn't deny that this situation would prove useful to furthering the peace talks and strengthen any alliance that comes from this. The only downside would be that he had no say in what would happen but the rewards for humanity far outweighed that. Ensuring Humanity's survival was always the order they were given in training and that hasn't changed even though the war ended.

'_Sometimes I love his training.' _Cortana thought to herself as she saw the Chief deep in thought. _'Only one way forward Chief and you know it all too well.' _"Chief you really don't have to go it alone you know. You have me here and you know that I won't lead you astray." she heard the Chief snort and frowned again. "Ok except for that one time when I accidently sent the elevator to the wrong floor and you ended up in the female barracks on the Cairo but that was one time!"

"One time too many." The Chief muttered.

"Hey you know that she is in the same boat as you are. You think that she knows what this entails?" Cortana asked as he shrugged. "She is just as blind as you are in this. You both are career soldiers and hold the title of best of your race but that's all you both know. She only knew the customs but that's all she knows."

"You already know my answer." The Chief said quietly as Cortana nodded.

"I know but you aren't alone here John. You have a support system like your old team and we are here to help you."

"I know." The Chief replied simply.

-Scene Change-

"Nothing new has turned up?" The Arbiter asked tensely.

"No Arbiter, we have yet to find anything else. This was done with precision and skill, practically an execution." Luka 'Vadamee stated.

The current head of security for the keep was grizzled male who had fought in the beginning of the war before being wounded and transferred back to the Keep for treatment. He lost his left eye and his lower mandible and sported a scar running from said eye all the way down to where the mandible use to be. Clad in burnished grey armor with the Keep's sigil on the shoulders and an energy pike in his hand he stood at an impressive seven-foot seven-inches with grey skin and a very muscular build. Though he was wounded by humans, he didn't have a disdain for them like the others at the time. The fact that one race had held off against an alliance of many races for so long made him think that humanity deserved respect and he gave it.

The Arbiter glanced down at the corpses of two Sangheili soldiers in an unused storage room with a snarl. "The list of suspects is short I presume?"

Luka nodded. "The Mulamaa were kept out of the Keep's main building and the prisoner was executed the next day. Only those inside the Keep could've done this and I doubt it was a member of the Keep."

"This only leaves the humans." The Arbiter growled lowly.

Luka nodded again and scratched his neck. "We can rule out the Sergeant and the Private, they wouldn't have had the training necessary. Which only leaves the Spartan and the Admiral and out of those two, I would believe it was the Spartan over the Admiral."

The Arbiter shook her head. "He has either been with me or with the other two and he has always been in sight. There has been something off about that Admiral since he was assigned here and these were the ones that were suppose to be watching him."

Luka narrowed his eye. "You think he isn't who he is trying to be?"

The Arbiter nodded. "I do and the fact he is running around unchecked isn't an issue to be taken lightly. He is here for something and we don't know what."

Luka hands tightened into a fist. "He won't be unchecked for long." Luka snarled before walking off angrily.

The Arbiter called for some servants to remove the bodies for autopsy and burial as she walked off. _'If he thinks he'll disturb the talks or my engagement then he is going to find my sword in his running through his neck.' _she thought angrily to herself.

-Scene Change-

"Ah Falo my old friend." The Arbiter's father said as he embraced Falo 'Mesumaa.

"Dava 'Vadamee, still turning greyer every year I see." Falo replied as he too embraced his old friend.

"I may be grey but I still have some of my old strength." Dava replied as he led Falo into the Keep. The entire Keep had worked overtime to get it in shape for visiting dignitaries and this was no different. Banners hung from the walls and every inch of the courtyard was freshly trimmed and cut to be perfect and the warriors had donned ceremonial armor of orange and black with matching weapons.

"I see you continue to do well for yourself despite the incident." Falo murmured lowly to his friend.

"It's all I can do to take my mind off of it. I am the only one responsible for it and if I had been more careful it could've been avoided." Dava replied just as lowly.

"You and I both know something was up, if anything I too share the blame for not assisting you." Falo said as the warriors and servants bowed as they passed.

"My daughter still assumes what was said is true and I haven't told her otherwise." Dava replied softly.

"Better for her to hate you then incite a Keep war." Falo said with a frown.

"Yes, as much as I wish it otherwise." Dava replied sadly. "But enough gloom, we are here for a different reason."

"The "fight" I presume?" Falo said with a knowing look. "It was difficult to get my daughter to go along with this scheme."

"It was difficult to nudge my daughter to do what she did in the first place but things have worked out greatly." Dava replied with the same look.

-Scene Change-

"I'll tell you one thing; the Elites do know how to throw a party." Dubbo replied as he saw the courtyard was a flurry of activity as the occupants of the Keep mingled with the visitors from the Mesumaa.

"I'm just glad they took our advice on making some human edible food." Stacker replied as he ate a plate of potatoes and carrots with some weird-looking deer meat from the surrounding forests. It was a little tougher than on Earth but it was tasty.

"Their food isn't really half bad; it just looks weird." Dubbo replied as he ate some Sangheili dish that consisted of a weird blue paste rolled in a green leaf with some rice-type meal and a dark red meat.

Stacker shook his head. "You won't see me eat that." Dubbo only shrugged in response.

On the other side of the courtyard was the Chief standing like a sentinel guarding a room. He was asked by Cortana to mingle with the guests but didn't really feel up to it and for good reason. His gut instinct was going off like a bell.

"I'm sure you're overreacting." Cortana said cautiously.

"No, something is going to happen soon but I don't know what." The Chief replied as he saw a figure approach him out of the corner of his eye.

"Yea, you're about to meet someone new." Cortana laughed as the Chief shook his head.

"You must be the Spartan the entire planet is talking about." The figure said in a friendly tone.

A glance by the Chief showed a slim female Sangheili with black eyes and a toned build if her arms were in indication. She wore a black robe with a gold trim that hung down around here and a small sigil that told the Chief that she was a member of the visiting keep. **(I apologize but descriptions aren't my thing if I'm doing things from scratch. If anyone has a better description please let me know.)**

"I am Kela 'Mesumaa and I am your opponent tomorrow." Kela said as she looked the Chief over. _'Not too bad for a human but looks aren't everything.' _

"Spartan-117." Was all the Chief replied as Kela did her best Sangheili frown.

"That's it? No name?" Kela asked as the Chief shook his head.

"No." The Chief said simply as Kela's eyes narrowed.

'_No boasting about how he's the strongest or no stare down to intimidate me? Is this human that disinterested or does he have so little respect for anyone?' _she thought angrily. "It's customary for two warriors to inform each other of their names."

The Chief shrugged. "My name is unimportant anymore."

'_Is this human being seriously?' _she thought to herself but before she could speak she caught sight of her old friend approaching.

"Kela, how are you these days?" The Arbiter asked as she stepped up to the two of them.

Kela snorted. "Very well after being discharged and sent home."

"You never could stand up to the rigors of combat." The Arbiter replied as the Chief took the time to sneak away.

"I told you." he said to Cortana and she laughed in return.

"I did well enough when I faced you in a spar. What was I…oh yes I was a Minor and you were a Zealot. I wonder how well that went over with the rest of your troops." Kela shot back as the Arbiter snarled.

"And yet I still won in the end." The Arbiter said heatedly.

"And yet there was talk of replacing you after the fight. Face it; you were being bested by a lower ranked subordinate." Kela said as the Arbiter snarled again.

"And tomorrow is when I prove just why I am the Arbiter." She said as she turned her back on Kela.

"And you wonder why you never had any friends as a youngling." Kela said as the Arbiter turned around. "I was your only friend and yet event that was always strained by your attitude."

"You know nothing." The Arbiter shot back as she walked away.

"I know more than you think Thela." Kela said as she pulled a small energy blade hilt from her pocket. It was a small token of their first fight when they were younglings and was what cemented their friendship. "I know more than you think."

-Scene Change-

"Any updates Admiral?" a female said from the communication terminal.

"Only that I have made contact with a Keep that is very interested in seeing the Arbiter taken down a peg or two. They despise her simply because she is a female and they are very traditional in their ways and customs. It won't be hard to play on their beliefs to get some cooperation." Selmon stated smoothly.

"Is that all?" the female asked again. "We need more than that."

"Would blackmail help?" Selmon asked as he held a data chip. "Apparently, they tried to force the Keep to turn over the Arbiter for marriage but she left for training in the Covenant before any message got out. They demanded compensation in return for a slight against them and Rela 'Vadamee was sent as a mediator with a small escort but they were ambushed and captured by the Mulamaa Keep and then drummed up false documents that claimed the Arbiter's father sold her mother as a slave and that destroyed this Keep's credibility."

"You have evidence of this." the voice stated calmly.

"All right here ma'am." Selmon said as he pointed to the chip. "Threaten to release this and they will sing any tune we want them too."

"How is the Keep still standing after the scandal?" the voice asked curiously.

"They control most of the off planet and they have the strongest warriors in Sangheili culture. Those two facts alone make others wary of expelling the Keep for fear of a severe shortage of goods and warriors." Selmon replied as he checked the door.

"Is something wrong?"

"I thought I heard something." Selmon replied as he turned around. "I'll contact you when I have something else." He shut off the terminal before standing up and walking out of the door unaware of a blue figure appearing on the terminal.

"So that's your game." Cortana said to herself. She was curious of an unknown channel being broadcasted off planet and listened in. "So Rela wasn't sold after all and Selmon isn't actually here for talking." Cortana allowed herself a grin. "Selmon zero, Cortana one; now let's see about that chip."

**Whelp, here is another chapter and what a doozy it was. Filler but it did help explain some events of the past that no one knows about and now Cortana is onto Selmon. What happened between Thela and Kela that caused a big rift? Find out later!**

**Nothing really to say except read and review and I can't wait till H5 releases! Already got my copy pre-ordered even though I don't have an Xbox One lol.**


	11. Chapter 11 Dueling for a Heart

**Ch. 11 Dueling for a Heart**

**Alright, this is the chapter that the majority of my fans have been waiting for...we get to see two females go at it with the Chief on the line. Lucky damn Spartan. I will try my best to make a great fighting scene so bear with me please.**

**On another note, my LoS story is coming along nicely and so is my Skyrim story so check those out if you like dragons. Question, I have proven that there are a lot of people out there who want to read about certain pairings so why haven't they been done before me? If anyone can answer that please let me know.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are copyright of 343 and Bungie.**

"Only you Chief." Cortana said as she shook her head.

"What are you talking about?" The Chief replied curiously.

Cortana let out a sigh. "Only you could have two women fighting over you and you not care in the slightest." Cortana replied exasperatedly.

"Your the one that got me in the mess if I recall." The Chief replied accusingly as Cortana gave a menial shrug.

"Think of it as a never ending mission Chief. Get married and secure peace between humanity and the Sangheili and you get the strongest female as a reward." Cortana said with a grin while the Chief shook his head.

"No thanks to you." The Chief said as Cortana started to laugh.

"Big baby and here I thought you Spartans were tough." she replied as the Chief bristled until he figured out that she was joking. "I do have some good news. Your armor should be ready tomorrow." she didn't miss the very small sigh of relief from the Chief. "John...one day you will have to remove that armor for the final time and I want you to be ready for it. You won't be able to wear it forever." she said softly as the Chief sighed.

"And that is what I fear the most." The Chief replied as he left the room. Cortana said nothing as she watched him leave.

"You're afraid of becoming useless John but there will always be someone to keep you from being that and she is fighting for you tomorrow." Cortana said to an empty room. "Even a Spartan needs an anchor."

-Scene Change-

The Arbiter sat in her room and stared out the window with a somber look. Tomorrow she would fight her former friend and her love interest was on the line but what scared her the most was the fact that she might end up losing. Not only would a loss mean that she would have to give up her pursuit but it would also mean that her ability to be the Arbiter would be called into question. The shame of having her skills even remotely questioned made her upset and worried.

_'I won't be shamed again...not by her.' _she thought to herself.

"Something is bothering you daughter." Dava replied from the door. "Your mother had that same exact face whenever she had a thought."

The Arbiter snorted. "It's nothing."

Her father sighed. "You may hate me but I know you better than most. You are getting worried about tomorrow aren't you." Damn her father and his ability to see through her!

"I won't lose tomorrow...and I will prove why I am the Arbiter." she said calmly as her father sighed again.

"What happened between you two?" he asked calmly.

"I lost my position as fleet master due to her. I beat her but the spar lasted too long and many began to question my leadership capabilities. I was removed from my duties and forced to re-earn my place in the fleet." The Arbiter replied bitterly. "The shame I had to endure because of her..."

"Is that all?" he asked and she turned to him. "That isn't why you dislike her is it?"

The Arbiter didn't reply.

-Scene Change-

The Arbiter and Kela stood across from each other in the ring. The rules were simply, first to admit defeat or leaves the ring loses and the winner gets the opportunity to marry the Spartan. Kela only wanted to test herself against her old friend but the Arbiter was actually fighting for the Chief. The entire courtyard was full of Sangheili eager to watch the two females go at it like rabid jackals.

"Are you both ready?" Stacker replied nervously. They needed an impartial referee and someone suggested a human. They both silently nodded and as soon as Stacker said go he got the hell outta dodge.

Kela charged the Arbiter and swung her right fist and the Arbiter easily blocked but almost missed the kick aimed at her mid-section. _'She got faster!' _The Arbiter thought as she had to duck another blow. Kela had kept up the tempo with a relentless barrage of punches and the occasional kick had kept the Arbiter on the defensive with no room to strike back. Inch by inch she was forced back and she became aware of how close she was getting to the edge; she had to push back and it was when she got a brief lull she struck.

The Arbiter began to throw punch after punch and Kela had no choice but defend herself. Kela had gotten faster than she was but Thela wasn't the Arbiter in name only. As quick as lightning, Thela had thrown a punch and then feinted to the side and her hoof impacted on Kela's side and she crumpled.

"You have gotten faster but you still have the same old weak point, you always leave your side open." The Arbiter said mockingly.

Kela snarled as she stood. "And you never could just finish a fight. Instead you like to gloat and belittle but you never finish an opponent." The Arbiter growled lowly and rushed at her.

-With the Chief-

"I think this has less to do about you and more about themselves." Cortana remarked as Kela avoided an elbow to the face and kicked out with her right leg.

"I count 25 ways that either of them could've ended it by now." The Chief replied as he watched them. "This is becoming nothing more than a street brawl." he finished as the Arbiter went for a hip toss only to have her legs kicked out from under her and Kela started to pound on her.

"Sir, is it wrong to be slightly turned on by this?" Dubbo asked as he watched the Arbiter grab Kela's arm and use her body to throw Kela over her head.

"You're a male Private so no." Cortana replied with a small chuckle. "I will admit...the females do have great flexibility." she added when Kela twisted her body to avoid a body blow.

"100 on the Arbiter?" Dubbo asked hopefully as the Chief sighed.

"Just to humor you, I'll give you that." The Chief replied as Dubbo did an arm pump.

"Score." Dubbo replied as the Chief shook his head and yet he had a small twitch on his lips. Maybe Cortana was right about showing more emotion. He would have to look into it later.

-Back to the Fighters-

Sweat glistened off their bodies as they engaged again and again they were evenly matched. The Arbiter snarled as she wasn't able to get a good grip on Kela anymore and Kela narrowed her eyes as the Arbiter attempted to throw her on the ground but slipped. Breaking from the hold she did a few back flips and landed slightly panting.

"You aren't even trying anymore!" Kela shouted with rage. "Do you really think me beneath you that you wouldn't even try to fight?"

The Arbiter didn't flinch but everyone saw the slight twitch in her mandibles. "You also were never the smartest in training. If I tried then this would've been over in a few minutes. I have fought Spartans and Brutes along with the Parasite and have survived. I have numerous battles and victories underneath me and years of experience over you." she said as she sized Kela up. "Everyone here knows that you wouldn't win."

Kela only straightened up. "What happened to you? What did that war do to you?" the Arbiter responded by rushing her again.

"The war did nothing to me!" The Arbiter replied as she swung her fist again and Kela dodged. "I led my fleet and troops with honor!"

"Then why did you let me last so long back then? Why did you give me a chance to win even though you knew that you could've won easily?" Kela shot back and the Arbiter stopped.

"You didn't belong there." The Arbiter said slowly. "You didn't belong in the Covenant military. I wanted to give you the chance to prove me wrong and you almost did but in the end I knew that you didn't want to be there."

"And how would you know what I wanted?" Kela asked curiously.

"Because your heart wasn't in it. You only joined because you wanted to follow me even though I warned you against it." The Arbiter said as she clenched her fists. "I told you numerous times to not follow me and that you would be better as a Guard Captain for your Keep then a soldier in war but you didn't listen."

"So you let me almost win because you wanted me gone?" Kela questioned angrily.

The Arbiter shook her head. "I did that so you would see just how difficult it was. You heard the talk after the fight and how my leadership was questioned. I was demoted after that due to no-confidence in my skills because of it. My battle kills meant nothing next to one spar. I wanted you to see how extreme it was and how something so small could have big consequences. I took a fall so you would take a hint." she finished as Kela tilted her head.

-With Dava 'Vadamee-

"So you aren't angry at her after all daughter. You're angry about your inability to convince her that it was for the best that she leave before her life crashes down." Dava mused to himself. "You always put others before yourself haven't you."

"Has this gone on long enough?" An elder asked as Dava shook his head.

"It won't last much longer." Dava said as Falo nodded.

"They both have come a long way from the small children they use to be." Falo said as Dava huffed in agreement.

"Your daughter is indeed worthy of being your Keep's Captain of the Guard." Dava told Falo with a hint of pride.

"And yours is more than worthy of being the Arbiter of the Sangheili. She has proven time and again that she is the strongest." Falo replied just as enthusiastic.

-With the Fighters-

Kela lowered her head in thought. "You made your pride take a hit...for me?" The Arbiter nodded her head. "Why didn't you just order me to leave?"

"Because you were my friend and despite our ranks I wanted you to leave by your own choice." The Arbiter replied softly.

Kela for her part only nodded. "And I did...you were right; I wasn't meant for service."

"I know...shall we finish this?" The Arbiter asked with a Sangheili grin.

"Lets." Kela replied and they both charged.

Their moves became sluggish as fatigue began to set in but they continued. Punches started to find their mark due to their fatigue but neither gave an inch. When one landed a punch the other responded by throwing one back. Their arms felt like they had weights on but they shrugged it off and soon they resorted to kicking and punching to mix it up. Kela fought with wild fury but her fatigue caught up to her before the Arbiter's did. Kela knew that she was about to lose and yet she wasn't angry about it.

Seeing an opening, the Arbiter grabbed one of Kela's arms and placed her leg in front of her. With a firm grip on Kela she began another hip toss and in one swift motion tossed her on the ground and locked her arm behind her back and put her weight down. Kela was trapped and too tired to move at this point.

After a few minutes of struggling Kela finally had enough. "I...I submit." she panted out as the Arbiter smiled.

"Match over!" Stacker replied as the Arbiter got off of Kela. "Winner, Thela 'Vadam!" he said as held up her arm. All around them, the crowd applauded at the match.

"Kela...I'm sorry." The Arbiter replied as they faced each other again.

Kela shook her head. "I'm the one that should apologize." The Arbiter tilted her head before it hit her.

"You accused me of not trying and yet you didn't either." she accused as Kela grinned.

"I learned from the best." she replied cheekily as the Arbiter fumed.

"I want a rematch." The Arbiter said as Kela laughed.

"On one condition." she started as the Arbiter narrowed her eyes. "I want to be your honor maid at the ceremony." The Arbiter snarled in response as Kela laughed.

-Scene Change-

"He accepted then?" Dava asked his daughter as she got checked in the medical room.

"After careful thought and maybe a little persuasion." she replied as Dava let out a small chuckle.

"I will send you a list of possible dates and times that you may set at your leisure." Dava said as the Arbiter nodded and he walked out. _'You will be told the truth soon daughter. I only hope you will have enough self-restraint to handle it.' _

**And I will cut it off right there or else I won't stop lol.**

**A lot of info was thrown out in here regarding the Arbiter's actions in the past and we found out why she had a chip on her shoulder. She took a blow to her pride for a friend but she believes that she had failed to convince her to leave something that wasn't for her. We all have done that at least once for a friend in our lives though so it happens.**

**Nothing else to say except read and review and I'll see you all next time!**


	12. Chapter 12 Dual Preparations

**Ch. 12 Dual Preparations**

**After the positive response of the last chapter I am completely happy. You all have been great throughout this story and some of you have also expressed great responses to my other stories as well so I can't thank you all enough.**

**In another note, for those that have read my Love of Dragonesses latest chapter then you know that I will be away from my computer for a week from the 14****th**** to the 22****nd****. Unfortunately, that week I am gone is the jurisdiction of this story so this won't be updated till after the 22****nd****. I can already hear your complaints but my reason for leaving is familial, my grandfather has bone cancer and he is 87 so there is a 60% chance of him not seeing next year according to his doctors. I want to spend some time with him like I use to as a kid before that day comes so here's to all day fishing and bowling!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are copyright of Bungie and 343.**

"Chief..." Cortana said in exasperation. It only took the Spartan a quick second from the time he received his armor to put it on. "You were doing so well and now you just ruined it."

"So?" The Chief replied as he walked out of the room.

"You're impossible sometimes." Cortana said with a grin as she appeared in his HUD. "Not feeling naked now huh?"

The Chief shook his head as walked down the hall. "You know I believe you but no one else will until you have proof." he said as Cortana's grin dropped a serious expression appeared on her face.

"He has it on the data chip but we can't search him or his possessions without probable cause. The "secured" channel and his conversation with whoever it was on the other line is good proof but it isn't enough." she replied as the Chief nodded as he sidestepped a servant who looked awestruck. "What we need is to catch him when he makes the next call but he is getting antsy."

"How?" The Chief asked curiously.

"The peace delegation is arriving in two weeks, which means whatever he has planned has to be enacted soon. People always start to get a little more jittery when it's time to act because they are anticipating the event. He has been hiding it well but I can still see a slight twitch in his face every now and then." Cortana replied as the Chief narrowed his eyes behind his helmet.

"I caught that as well, when do you he'll enact whatever he has planned?" The Chief asked with a slight bite in his tone.

"I think a better question would be who else is involved and why?" Cortana said as the Chief went over everything in his head.

-Scene Change-

"What do you mean that I can't have that date?!" The Arbiter yelled in anger. The five elders around her had to stop their ears from ringing before they could reply.

"Daughter, the date you requested is the same day that the human delegation arrives. That date has been set for months now and we can't move it simply because its inconvenient for you." Her father said as the Arbiter huffed in irritation. "Has the human even agreed and have you had the customary sparring match?"

The Arbiter crossed her arms. "Yes he did agree, he didn't like it but he agreed and yes we had the traditional fight." she replied as Dava tilted his head.

"When was this?" he asked curiously.

"We had a spar on the ride over and the other when we got here remember?" she replied as the elders nodded. "And we had a few small ones in the last couple weeks and we had the actual one last night in the courtyard."

"I wondered why my guards were either upset or upbeat." Luka replied as he entered the room. "They said that they made bets on a fight last night." he finished as the Arbiter gave a Sangheili version of a smirk.

"Have you found anything new?" Dava asked as Luka gave a slight nod.

"The A.I. shared an interesting recording with us about one of the humans. I assume you have received a copy?" Luka asked as Dava nodded.

"It is disturbing but he took great care in avoiding what he was doing. As a result, we have no idea and we can't make any move until we have more facts." Dava said as Luka nodded.

"This is why I wanted that date. If he was planning something during the talks then rescheduling at the last minute would put him on edge." The Arbiter said angrily. "It also would give us more time to gather evidence and inform the humans upon their arrival."

"I understand but we can't move an important meeting because you want to marry." Dava said as the Arbiter huffed.

"Then tell them that we have a potential problem and are scheduling another event to draw out a potential assassin! We have enough credible evidence of some plot but we don't know who it is yet and by privately scheduling a different event but one that has the same impact we might catch them off guard enough to draw them out!" The Arbiter yelled in anger.

"She does have a point sir." Luka said in thought. "Tell only those that need to know what is happening and do so privately while everyone still thinks peace talks will happen but a different yet equally important event will happen instead. The resulting confusion will ensure that we have enough time to act on any other evidence we find between now and then."

"We can use what we have as probable cause and, if who I think is coming, then they will be more than reasonable to our request." The Arbiter replied as Dava sighed.

"It is credible evidence." one elder said.

"They did say that if any emergency comes up then we need to tell them immediately." another replied with a thoughtful expression.

"And this would qualify as that." Luka said with a nod to Dava.

Dava sighed in defeat. "Very well, we will inform those that need to know and tell them the plan. Until then it is business as usual. Luka, we might not have enough to arrest the human but we have more than enough to warrant a search but until we get approval from the humans then have him watched but do so discreetly."

"Yes, my lord." Luka said as he bowed and left the room.

Dava turned back to his daughter. "You might get your desired date but for now it is still the same as before."

The Arbiter nodded happily and walked out. The elders watched her go and shook their heads. "She has grown stubborn and defiant. She is most definitely taking after her mother." an elder said as Dava nodded.

"And she will always be my little girl." Dava said happily.

-Scene Change-

"So...uh...I guess that congratulations are in order Chief?" Dubbo asked as he sat at a table in the dining hall.

"I don't know if we should throw him a bachelor party or not." Stacker said as Dubbo laughed.

The Chief shook his head. "And neither of you could've talked me out of it?"

"Cortana asked us not too." Stacker said as Cortana hissed at him and the Chief narrowed his eyes at her.

"Why am I not surprised." he replied with a grunt as Cortana smirked.

"Admit it Chief, you aren't that tore up about it." she said mockingly as he swatted his helmet. "Not sorry for once Chief."

"Look at it this way Chief, you are getting the cream of the crop in terms of power." Stacker said with a grin. "She is practically the head of the Sangheili race now."

"Status isn't on my list Private." The Chief replied as Dubbo shook his head.

"Chief, this is something you will have to get use to now. You might actually enjoy being married eventually." Cortana said as he grunted.

"You know, you really have come a long way Chief. A few years ago you were an asshole but now you actually do have things to joke about." Dubbo said as the Chief shrugged.

"He's changing before our very eyes." Stacker joked as the Chief cracked his knuckles behind his gauntlets.

"Anyone want to volunteer for a fight?" The Chief asked as Dubbo and Stacker went pale. The Chief actually chuckled a little at their faces.

-Scene Change-

"Why is this so damn hard?" The Arbiter asked as she flipped through a list of things to do before a marriage ceremony. "I don't remember any other ceremony being this long!"

"That is because those were just usual ones, yours isn't usual so we must go all out to impress everyone." Kela said as she sat on the Arbiter bed. "I thought you wanted the best?"

"I do but all this..." The Arbiter trailed off as she flipped another page. "It's like a big book for an hour ceremony."

"Quit complaining and think of the positives. You are getting what you want after all." Kela said as the Arbiter snorted.

"Then what is wrong with a simple ceremony?" The Arbiter asked curiously.

"Too bland and boring, I thought you Zealots like action and flashy stuff?" Kela said as the Arbiter snarled.

"We like results and we don't care how we get them. Even if it means blowing up an entire base." The Arbiter said as Kela snorted in laughter.

"As I said, action and flash." Kela said as she laughed.

The Arbiter threw a pillow at her. "Shut up and help me with this, it's your big idea for a large ceremony."

"I wonder how that consummation is going to turn out...who is going on bottom in submission? You both would have a fight just to see who is going where!" Kela laughed as the Arbiter tackled her.

"Shut up!" The Arbiter said as she hit Kela with another pillow but Kela just laughed it off.

_'So easy to embarrass and fun to annoy.' _Kela thought with an internal smirk as she took another hit.

**And we will cut it there with a flustered and embarrassed Arbiter beating her friend with a pillow.**

**Encase you all were confused we have two plans being talked about: one is the plan to disrupt Selmon and the other is Thela's (Arbiter/tress) marriage plans, which you will see more of in the coming chapters, hence the title: Dual Preparations.**

**I apologize that this is out kinda late but I do have a question to explain why. This is to my female readers but here it goes: How can you all keep yourselves occupied in a damn store for 5 frickin hours!? I spent the afternoon with my sister and mother and I thought it was just to eat but no we had to go to a damn clothing store! My entire afternoon and my time for writing went out the door for that.**

**Ok enough about my rant so read and review and please don't forget my note at the beginning about where I will be in two weeks and now you all may cue the complaining. Till next time my fellow alien lovers!**


	13. Chapter 13 Arrival

**Ch. 13 Arrival**

**Well here we are at chapter 13 and its getting closer to the Chiefs slave- I mean wedding. Should be a fun time for all...unless you are Xenophobic in which case you wouldn't be invited XD.**

**Some news for this fic, as much as you all might not like this but this fic is actually only a couple chapters away from the end. I can already hear the complaints but remember this has to end sometime so I will do my utmost to end it in a satisfying way for all my readers.**

**In other news, my grandfather is doing better now that he has some meds to help him but it is confirmed stage four prostate cancer so yes it is a death sentence. The doc said that the hormone treatment should help slow its growth and give him about another year or so but that's it; luckily he has had a full life and still wants to plant a garden when Spring comes around so at least he's back to normal.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are copyright of Bungie and 343.**

"Are the visitors quarters prepared?" Dava asked a servant as the servant bowed.

"They are my lord." the servant replied. "Shall we prepare dinner?"

"Yes but have the cooks make some human food as well if they can; we do not wish to offend our guests." Dava replied as the servant bowed again and departed. "It is a wonder that the party agreed to push the date back a week."

"A wonder or a surprise?" Falo asked as Dava turned to him.

"Both, why are you still here by the way?" Dava asked as Falo snorted.

"Is my old friend that desperate to get rid of me?" Falo asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"No just wondering if your Keep had gotten tired of you and kicked you out yet." Dava replied as Falo snorted.

"I run the Keep remember, they can't kick me out." Falo replied as Dava stared at him. "Oh fine, my mate would have that power but you and I both know she won't."

"Is that why she beat you at the championship last year?" Dava said as Falo's head sunk in sadness.

-With the Chief-

"They are arriving in a few hours and we still have no leads on where Selmon went." The Chief said as Cortana shook her head.

"At least he made a fatal mistake in leaving this." The Chief said as he stared at a little chip in his hand.

"After running from you and an ambush by the Elites its not surprising but he was too well trained for a normal spook." Cortana said as the Chief said nothing.

"Trying to engage the Chief in close combat is a death sentence." Dubbo replied as he cleaned his MA5B. "Whoever he was had some balls."

"Are you thinking what I am as well Chief?" Cortana said as the Chief nodded.

"Spartan." The Chief said simply.

"Possibly a Spartan-I or II but Spartans-I's were deemed failures and only a handful of II's made it out to the field." Cortana said as the Chief shook his head.

"The way he moved was more in line with the augments of a II but how did one get out of the facility?" The Chief asked as Cortana sighed.

"The ones who didn't make it were cremated but there was one body missing when the count was checked. It was assumed that it was a miscount and forgot about though." Cortana replied as the Chief frowned behind his helmet.

"Even those minor mistakes can be costly in the future and it seems to be that way." The Chief replied sternly.

"It's not all bad yet Chief, we still have proof of his involving here and we do have some idea what he is after." Stacker said with a grin.

"It still doesn't help us with ONI Stacker. We still have no concrete proof of their involvement and what little records of his conversation with that other person gives us nothing." Cortana replied as Stacker grunted.

"Another sweep under the proverbial rug and another denouncing of a "mad man". "Dubbo said as the Chief shook his head.

"There's nothing we can do about it except wait." The Chief said as Stacker nodded with a grimace.

"And that's the worst part." Stacker said as the Chief nodded.

_-Flashback-_

"_Arresting me for what?" Selmon asked calmly as the Chief approached._

"_Murder." The Chief replied as he cracked his wrists._

_Selmon only grinned. "You have no proof Spartan and I would be careful who you accuse, it could be "damaging" for your career."_

"_We do have proof and we have enough evidence to arrest you." The Chief replied as Selmon stopped grinning._

"_And where is this supposed evidence?" Selmon asked with a raised eyebrow._

_The Chief held up a small chip. "We have evidence of you entering a room followed by two guards and you left without them. Furthermore, the footage in the room mysteriously disappeared but luckily we were able to recover it."_

"_Damn A.I." Selmon muttered under his breath._

"_So whats it going to be Selmon?" The Chief asked even though he knew the answer. He wasn't disappointed when Selmon drew a knife and hurled it at the Chief with speed that actually surprised the Chief. If that wasn't enough, as soon as the Chief caught the knife Selmon charged him quicker than a normal human and the Chief found himself dodging and blocking more often then he was use too. 'Fast and those punches aren't being pulled...he's not a normal Marine or a Spook.' The Chief thought as he caught Selmon's arm in a vise grip. "Nice try."_

"_I know." Selmon said as he dropped a grenade. The Chief's vision went white as Selmon broke free and ran._

"_He's running and he has flashbang's." The Chief said as Cortana raised an alarm. It wasn't long before he heard the sounds of plasma weapons being fired. He got to the hallway where the sounds were coming from only to see Selmon jump out a window and into the forest below the keep. "He's gone and we have no way to track him."_

"_We'll scour the forests, he won't get far." Luka said as he stared out the window._

"_Be careful, he isn't a normal Marine." The Chief said as Luka nodded and left with his men. The Chief left to search Selmon's room after a moment in thought._

_-Flashback end-_

"Which means he'll be on his guard until tomorrow." The Chief said with a tone of caution.

"He still doesn't know that its been moved and that works to our advantage." Cortana said as the Chief grunted.

"Are you still upset about it Chief?" Dubbo said with a grin. "It's just pre-wedding jitters."

"Easy Private, the Chief has had a hard day and all with being banned from certain areas until tomorrow." Cortana teased as Stacker and Dubbo laughed.

"I hate you all." The Chief said angrily.

"Ah relax Chief it's all in good fun, now get your normal fatigues on...it's bachelor party time and we can't have you behind a wall of steel!" Stacker said as Cortana howled with laughter.

"No." The Chief replied simply but Stacker only grinned.

-A couple hours later-

"I will say it again, I hate you all." The Chief said as he once again wore normal Marine fatigues and sitting in a Sangheili version of a bar. Dubbo and Stacker were drinking some green liquid that seemed to bubble violently and Sangheili around them were ingesting it very quickly.

"Relax Chief...It's *hic*...all in good fun." Dubbo said as he fell off his stool and was out like a light.

"Yea, all in good fun." The Chief replied as Stacker swayed. "Being inebriated to the point that you couldn't stop a finger from being pointed at you isn't good fun.

"It's a bachelor party but minus the loud music and strippers Chief so lighten up!" Stacker replied cheerfully.

"You do know we have to meet the arriving party in two hours right?" The Chief said with a nod to Dubbo on the ground.

"Ah we'll be fine, just a small guys night out before you can no longer enjoy being free." Stacker said as he picked up his drink. "Here's to the Chief and not being afraid to be romantic with an Elite." The Chief only shook his head.

"This stuff...*hic*...is pretty strong." Stacker said as he took a long drink.

"Lightweight humans!" A Sangheili said from the other side of the bar. Stacker responded by throwing his half full glass at him and missing.

"Oh no..." The Chief said with a frown as the glass broke on another Sangheili who got up and started swinging at everything in sight. The bar degenerated into a brawl after that and the Chief had to start using his reflexes to avoid drunken brawling and dragged the two knocked out humans from the bar and dragged them down the road. "I seriously hate you both right now."

-With the Arbiter-

"No." The Arbiter said simply.

"Aw come on, it won't kill you." Kela said as she held out a dark and gold robe.

"I will not be wearing that tomorrow, I have ceremonial armor from my mother that I promised I would wear at such an occasion." The Arbiter replied as Kela sighed.

"It's a wedding, not a battle." Kela said sternly but the Arbiter didn't budge.

"I will not be wearing something that cannot defend my person in the case of an attack." The Arbiter said flatly. "Besides, I highly doubt the Spartan wants someone who isn't ready to fight at a moments notice."

"You're hopeless you know." Kela said as the Arbiter snorted. "Nervous yet?"

"No, just anxious and a little pissed off." The Arbiter said as Kela nodded.

"About the human that escaped; do you think he will try and ruin it?" Kela asked as the Arbiter nodded.

"Oh he will but he won't succeed. After all, I made a promise and I will keep it." The Arbiter said calmly as Kela tilted her head.

"A promise?" Kela asked curiously.

"I said that if he tried to ruin this then he will find my sword in his throat." The Arbiter said with a dark gleam in her eyes.

-Scene Change-

"Been a while Master Chief." Hood said as he stepped off of a Pelican. "Have you been keeping yourself well?"

"Yes sir." The Chief said as he saluted.

"At ease Chief." Hood said as the Chief lowered his salute. "I am going to warn you now that there are IV's with us so be careful."

The Chief eyed Hood from behind his helmet and nodded slightly with a bad feeling. "You are aware of the situation sir?"

"I am Chief and as much as I don't like it, I understand it. I told her before that I can't forgive them but I am willing to move past it and this might be a step in the right direction." Hood replied as the Chief nodded. "He escaped and possibly made it to another Keep then?"

"Yes sir, they took the rest of the day to search but he was long gone." The Chief replied as he saw Dava approaching. "Here comes the welcome party sir."

"Fleetmaster Hood, it is an honor to meet the one who has commanded an impressive fleet." Dava replied as he bowed to Hood.

"More than once and it is an honor to meet the parent of a strong fighter." Hood replied with some calmness in his tone. He would have to thank Cortana for the tips on how to act in front of a leader when he could.

Dava was visibly surprised and impressed at Hood's praise for his daughter. "I thank you sir and it is my honor to allow you the use of my Keep for the duration of your stay."

"I appreciate it but if I may ask something?" Hood asked as Dava nodded. "Where are the other two human Marines?"

"Drunk and passed out sir." The Chief said simply as Hood raised an eyebrow. "Don't ask."

"I see, well then I suppose a tour wouldn't be impossible to manage?" Hood asked as Dava motioned for him to follow.

"Not at all, please follow me." Dava said as he began walking. Hood and a small squad went with him as the Chief stayed behind. There was something he had to check and he needed access to a UNSC computer to do it.

**And I will cut it right there. The humans have arrived for the summit and the wedding right around the corner. I wanted to write the Chief in a bar brawl but figured that he wouldn't waste his time with a bunch of drunken Elites. If you all want to see that then I guess I can work it into the wedding chapter then lol.**

**That's all I got for now so read and review and I will see you all later!**


	14. Chapter 14 Wedding of the Century

**Ch. 14 Wedding of the Century**

**Yep it's that time of the story you all have been waiting for. I hope I can deliver like I have been promising but I'll let you all be the judge of that. I am very proud of how this story has turned out and that is all thanks to all the fans out there so let's keep it going.**

**Edit: Changed the time from a century to 2000 years due to my error of of not remembering the time of the Covenant formation. Credit Imoneoldfart for pointing it out.**

**On another note, I have just released an Inheritance Cycle one-shot so if you love that series then check it out and let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are copyright of Bungie and 343.**

"They know about your dealings." Selmon said calmly as Maru 'Mulamaa snarled from his seat.

"You didn't think to keep the chip on you?! Are you that stupid human?!" Maru screeched as Selmon held his gaze.

"They haven't told anyone yet or else you would have multiple Keeps tearing down your walls right now. They will hold the information until you do anything against them but that doesn't mean that our own plans can still be put into play." Selmon said as Maru looked at him.

"And how do you propose we do that. They are on high alert for you and we wouldn't dare make a move because your stupidity."Maru said as Selmon grinned.

"Simple, we pay a group of outcasts and convince them that the Hierarchy wants them to eliminate the human diplomacy party and in return they will be welcomed into the fold again and while they have the guards occupied I'll go in and grab the chip." Selmon said as Maru narrowed his eyes.

"And why do you think you'll know it is there?" Maru said as Selmon kept grinning.

"The Spartan will have it on him at all times; why would you risk a normal human having it and being taken down?" Selmon asked as Maru snorted.

"Just get the chip away from them or else you will be going down with us." Maru said as Selmon walked out with a grin.

-Scene Change-

On Sanghelios, there was a great temple that was the staging area for many events of great importance. Most days it was a place of worship for the gods but when the Arbiter of the Sangheili was announcing her marriage ceremony the temple custodians had to work throughout the night and part of the next morning to ensure the temple was as glorious as if it was newly built; of course the big payday they were receiving for last minute announcements didn't hurt either.

Various banners depicting the many Keeps hung from the walls while the gardens and walkways were littered with flowers and decorative pennants showcasing many different runes and depictions of past Sangheili warriors. The walls of the temple were a bright white with silver streaks and the top was made of solid bronze beset with many carvings in the Sangheili language and the interior was just as stunning with the walls painted a deep green with many temple banners hanging from the rafters above and the dome was a large mural depicting the gods of Sangheili worship. The windows were stained glass with depictions of various heroics and deeds that lent to the history of Sanghelios.

Cortana whistled at the sight of it. "Chief, you have to be the luckiest human alive. The last time this temple was used for ceremony was the founding of the Covenant nearly 2000 years ago."

The Chief rolled his eyes. "I just want this day over with."

Stacker smirked. "You're just mad that you couldn't wear your armor Chief." The Chief grimaced as Dubbo gave a short laugh.

"Do I need to remind you both that I had to drag your drunk asses back to the Keep?" The Chief asked with a scathing glare as Dubbo and Stacker began to laugh.

"Chief for this one day, try to relax and have fun." Cortana said as the Chief tensed. "Listen John, this day is suppose to be a happy one with no enemies or rivals. Just for this once, try and be a normal human and not a Spartan. Everything will work out fine, I promise."

"I don't know Cortana...I have a bad feeling and you know that something always happens when I have one." The Chief replied warily.

"Then stay alert but try and have fun as well, it's not every day you attend a wedding like this." Cortana replied as the Chief sighed.

"Chief, I know what your feeling because I'm feeling it as well. We have the entire area covered and the entrance being watched to the point that a bug isn't getting in without being seen." Stacker said as the Chief nodded but still grimaced.

"Relax Chief, I think the Arbiter will go ape shit on anyone who disturbs this day." Dubbo said as the group went quiet.

"God help the one who is going too." Cortana said after a moment of silence.

-Scene Change-

"It's almost time Thela." Kela said as the Arbiter grunted.

The Arbiter wore a full set of black and silver armor complete with intricate designs and gold runes etched into the gauntlets and chest piece and a gold sash around her waist, attached to her sash was her Energy Sword and a Plasma Rifle. **(Think of her regular armor just a different color and more ceremonial as opposed to war ready)**

"I have a bad feeling that someone is going to ruin this." The Arbiter said as she clenched her fists.

"Oh relax and think positive." Kela said as she wore a black and gold robe. "Besides you are getting the strongest warrior the humans have and you're complaining."

"I just want everything to be perfect and some jackass is going to ruin it." The Arbiter growled lowly, already knowing just who or whom are going to interrupt it.

"Oh stop worrying, we have many contingency plans in case things go wrong and you are walking into a place with guests that are armed to the teeth and are ready for anything." Kela said as the Arbiter shook her head.

"Have them leave their weapons behind when the reception as the humans call it begins, we don't need a drunk shootout happening." The Arbiter said as Kela nodded.

"Already done, you just worry about not tripping over yourself on your way to the Altar." Kela said as the Arbiter tried to hit her but missed. "You missed and on that note, it's time." Kela finished with a smirk as the Arbiter huffed as they heard a loud ringing sound from the temple tower.

-With Selmon-

Selmon heard the sound and grinned. "Show time, sorry Hood but your peace talks aren't going anywhere." he said as he moved towards the temple

-With the Chief-

"And that will be the sound of the beginning of your life of servitude." Dubbo said with a grin as the human party actually snickered from their spots.

"Shut it Private." the Chief replied as he grimaced as the doors of the temple opened. "Let's just get this over with."

The loud ring subsided after one final note and a small band began to play a ritual song as the Arbiter appeared in the doorway and began her walk through the hall. Her head was held high and she moved with confidence and pride in every step as she kept her eyes firmly ahead of her. The Chief had to admit, she did look pretty stunning in the armor and the way she carried herself did make him smile a little.

_'Maybe this won't be so bad...' _The Chief thought as the Arbiter reached the altar.

"Say something Chief and it has to be nice." Cortana whispered as he gave a slight twitch.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this," he muttered under his breath. "You look...nice."

The Arbiter snorted but did have a small shade of purple on her face. "My mother had it designed for me when I was a youngling."

"So how does this work?" The Chief asked lowly.

"We affirm our loyalty to each other and recite our vows as you humans call them and then we..." she trailed off but the Chief could fill in the blanks and he didn't like it.

"In front of everyone?" he almost said aloud but managed to keep himself quiet.

The Arbiter chuckled a little bit. "No, there are private rooms in the temple but since you are human then we can skip that and go the human version of a feast."

The Chief visibly deflated at that. "So...how does this work again?"

The Arbiter shook her head as a priest approached them. "Just do what I do and you will be fine." she replied as the ceremony began.

-Outside-

"Unknown personnel approaching the entrance, confirm sightings." A Spartan said as his partner looked through a sniper scope.

"At least two squads confirmed with another three hiding behind two buildings across the street." Another team radioed from across the courtyard.

"We see them." A gruff voice said as two Sangheili readied their weapons in front of the gate.

"Spartan team Gold to ground forces, five squads approaching with possible hostile intentions." Another Spartan said as the Sangheili in the courtyard tensed.

"Affirmative, we're ready for them." Just in time as the Sangheili at the gate came under fire.

"Hostiles at the gate, all units fire at will!" The Spartan leader said as various sounds of gunfire reverberated through the courtyard.

The two guards at the gate were eventually forced back as the intruders entered the courtyard and three hidden squads came out and rushed the temple.

"These hostiles are well-armed and organized." A defender said as he clashed with a mercenary.

"More coming over the eastern wall!" Another defender said as another two squads came over a wall and trapped the defenders in a pincer.

"Two down." A Spartan said as he dropped another mercenary. "They are well-armed alright."

"Fall back to the temple doors and barricade them." Another ordered as the defenders fell back to the temple and slammed the doors shut. "Do what you can Spartans."

"Roger that, be advised they are bringing out explosive ordinance. Get all VIP's to a safe location." The Spartan leader replied as his team continued to fire.

Selmon saw the retreating defenders and infiltrated through a shot-out window.

-Inside the temple-

"Do I have to say that?" The Chief asked as the human party started to laugh at how much he was sweating.

"It is customary." The Priest replied as the Arbiter snickered.

The Chief let out a heavy sigh and went to seal his fate. "I-" he started but the temple was rocked as an explosion shook the walls.

"They've breached the doors, all units prepare for a defensive battle and evacuate any VIP's." A squad leader said as chaos erupted when the sounds of gunfire were heard from the entrance.

"I told you so!" The Chief said as he took out an SMG and took cover behind an overturned bench. Those guests who were armed had done the same while those who were unarmed were huddled behind any cover they could find.

"I guess you were correct after all." Hood said as Dava nodded from behind a bench.

"To be honest, I was skeptical as well." Dava replied as Plasma sailed over their heads.

"Marines, suppressive fire," Hood ordered as two squads of Marines started firing. "The rest of you get any unarmed civilians to safety."

"Daughter what are you doing?!" Dava said as the Arbiter still stood at the altar with a slow growing look of rage on her face.

The Arbiter stood still as she slowly clenched her fists and began to tremble in rage as plasma fire whistled around her. She knew that something would happen but she still had hope that maybe she could have one day where she could be happy and carefree without some conflict interfering or conspiring to take it away.

She joined the Covenant military at the top of her class but was passed over for promotion because of the sexist environment.

She finally received her promotion to Zealot but lost her mother the same day.

She was awarded her first command of a fleet but a single human ship evaded her entire fleet and escaped Reach.

She finally had the humans cornered and trapped on Halo but the flood were released and the ring destroyed by the same human she was now marrying,

She became the Arbiter but was subsequently betrayed by the Prophets and her race slaughtered by the Brutes on their orders.

She finally had been able to have established some measure of peace but now a group of traitors were interrupting and ruining what should have been a happy occasion for her after many trials of disappointment.

No more would she let this happen! Her entire being was shaking with rage as a deep growl emitted from her throat and a fierce look appeared in her eyes focused solely on those who had appeared uninvited to her ceremony.

Kela saw the look in her friends eyes and knew what was about to happen. "Pay attention Spartan and learn what happens when she can't control her rage anymore. That is going to be one of your biggest tasks in this marriage, to keep her happy so she doesn't lose control."

The Chief looked at Kela with a confused expression as he loaded another magazine into the SMG. "What are you talking about?" he asked as Kela pointed at the Arbiter in response. He turned his attention to the Arbiter who spoke up in a very angry and very deadly tone that had the entire temple go silent.

"You filthy scum, you dare to interrupt what should have been a joyous occasion by bringing death and destruction into one of our most holy places and you dare to interrupt my marriage ceremony!" The Arbiter should as she seethed in anger and the mercenaries froze.

"Marriage ceremony? He didn't say anything about a marriage ceremony." One of them whispered to another.

"We've been tricked!" Another said as the Arbiter grabbed her sword from her sash and ignited it.

"Die!" Was all she said as the slaughter began.

**And cue another dreaded cliffie muahahahahahaha.**

**The Arbiter had her day ruined and we got a first hand look at her psyche as the weight of everything that happened to her finally reached the boiling point. Also, for those who will be confused by the Spartan-IV's actions during the chapter that will be explained next chapter.**

**Nothing else to say except read and review and we are two chapters away from the end so here's to a great ending.**


	15. Chapter 15 Fear Itself

**Ch. 15 Fear Itself**

**I apologize that this is late but what was only suppose to be a 2-3 hour moving job took 12 hours and I didn't get in till 11 PM on Friday so I didn't have time to write till then. Nonetheless, I have strived to give my best in all my chapters so I won't keep you guys from seeing the Arbiter go crazy lol.**

**Edit: I was about to post it before the power went out so again I apologize that this is so late.**

**One other note, Since this story is ending in 1-2 chapters I want to know how you all felt about it overall. It doesn't have to be a long review but something to let me know if you didn't expect much or if you all loved it since the get go.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters belong to Bungie and 343.**

The Chief faced many things in his career that would break any normal soldier; from jumping feet first into the Flood-infested High Charity to tangling with a berserking brute in CQC and he even had the pleasure of leading suicide missions into enemy territory without ever flinching but, though he would never admit this to anyone, he did start to feel some semblance of worry over the new face of his friend. That soldier-like but still somewhat normal face became cold eyes and a fierce snarling visage that would send anyone running in terror.

This was one of those times.

Quicker than the Chief thought possible, the Arbiter was charging the squad of mercenaries and within a second of reaching them had one impaled through his split jaws and straight out the top of his head while the other fell victim to a second energy blade that pierced straight through his eyes and out of the back of his skull. With sharp motions, the Arbiter pulled both blades free and the bodies dropped to the floor as she turned to face the other three Sangheili who began to back-step as she lunged with both swords cutting through the air.

"Wow...Chief, I'm actually starting to regret this entire plan." Cortana said as even she cringed when one of the Sangheili split in half at the force and intensity of the Arbiter's blades. "Those aren't normal blades."

"Where did she get them?" The Chief asked as Dava gave a short huff of laughter.

"Her mother had a knack for making things deadlier and those were her prized swords. It took her nearly 5 years to get the perfect hilt to be able to withstand the amount of energy and heat the blades produce and double that time to have a working prototype as the two just wouldn't cooperate even with the right specifications." Dava said with pride as the Chief turned back to the corpses and sure enough he saw that the skin around the wounds actually melted from the heat.

"What about around the hand?" The Chief asked worriedly.

"The mesh under her armor is made of several heat resistant materials that can withstand temperatures reaching a few thousand degrees. Combine that with the natural wind cooling and the blades inner cooling unit then you have a battle ready sword that could, in theory, cut through a metal door like it wasn't even there." Dava said as Stacker whistled.

"Those weren't being mass-produced?" Hood asked as he turned away from the sight.

"We never saw the need for them when only those of high rank use them and my wife stated that they wouldn't be used in a needless war." Dava replied solemnly as the Arbiter stood alone with dead bodies around her.

"So she was opposed to the war?" Hood asked curiously. "I thought all of your race would be for it."

"At first we were but once Humanity began to fight back just as hard we became more confused and wondered why you were never given the option to join the Covenant. It was that confusion that eventually led to questioning and resentment began to form until it exploded in the Great Schism, however there were a few and I do mean a few Sangheili back here on Sanghelios that were opposed from the start." Dava replied as Falo snorted.

"His wife kicked his ass up and down the Keep when she found out that he allowed his daughter to join the Covenant." Falo replied as Dava shot him a look.

"And yours didn't?" Dava challenged as Falo put his head down.

"Whipped." Dubbo said with a small grin.

"Where are the others." The Arbiter said lowly as one of the guards pointed to the courtyard and she calmly walked out of the main hall.

"Should we do something?" The Chief asked as Kela shook her head.

"For who? Her or them?" she asked with a slight tone of laughter.

"It's best if we let her work out her anger Spartan, she needs this more than anything right now." Dava said as the Chief grimaced.

-With the Arbiter-

The Arbiter walked out into the courtyard where the mercenaries were taking cover from the Spartan-IV's before they noticed her covered in purple blood with two energy swords in her hands. With a snarl she leapt into the fray and began an intricate dance of death as she moved from one enemy to the next as her swords cut through flesh like it was paper.

"All the years!" The Arbiter exclaimed as she cut down another Sangheili. "All the years I spent trying to prove myself in the service only to have something always hanging over my head! All the battles I have won and all my years of service only to have it all taken because of one human, the times I had to fight to prove myself in a male dominated environment only to be passed over for promotions from the beginning, the times I had to suffer as failure always weighed over my successes and I was branded with a mark that would never leave, the number of suicide missions I was forced on to regain honor that would never return and then the ultimate betrayal that I had to watch as my own race was slaughtered!" she finished as she cut through another Sangheili.

The courtyard filled with dead bodies as the Arbiter continued her dance. A couple fell to decapitations and others lost limbs or were almost cleanly split with only a thin line of flesh keeping their bodies together as the Arbiter took all her anger and frustration on those who interfered on her day. The sight of their comrades being slaughtered by a lone warrior prompted the others to start fleeing until an energy barrier stopped them before they exit the entrance gate with a team of Spartans on the other side of effectively blocking any chance for escape.

"Are you sure we can't let one of them go?" A Spartan asked as he cringed when he got a first hand look at the inside of an Sangheili.

"Would you want to face her?" Another asked as he pointed to the Arbiter.

"On second thought...it might be bad for my health." The first said as the leader laughed.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." The leader said as she grinned behind her helmet. "Girl power." she finished as one of the Sangheili at the gate dropped due to the lack of a head.

-With the Chief-

"Well the courtyard is clear." A Sangheili guard said as he looked at the blood stained courtyard.

"It's beginning to smell like burnt leather and tar in here." Dubbo said as he cleared the air around his face.

"Private!" Stacker said as he gave Dubbo a scolding look.

"Leather and tar?" Dava asked as Hood flinched.

"Some humans have said that Sangheili smell like leather and their blood smell likes tar." Cortana said as Dava tilted his head.

"Do we smell like that?" Dava asked Falo curiously.

"Not that I can tell." Falo replied as he sniffed himself.

The Chief would've laughed had he not frowned before catching a hand aimed at his belt and then delivering a hard punch to someone sneaking up behind him. "I was wondering when you show up." The Chief said as Selmon got off the ground with a snarl.

"So is this what passes as peace talks? Getting a human married to alien?" Selmon said as the Sangheili growled.

"Watch it human." Falo said as he pointed his plasma rifle at Selmon.

"Says the one who committed genocide because their leaders told them too and like blind dogs they did." Selmon shot back as the Sangheili bristled.

"Enough, Selmon you are under arrest for murder and conspiracy against the UNSC you will be taken into custody and tried by a court-martial." Hood said as a Marine squad surrounded him.

"I don't think so." Selmon said as he dropped another grenade and disappeared when everyone took cover.

"Another flash-bang." The Chief said as his ears rang.

"Did you get it on him?" Dava asked as he blinked.

"Yes, it's on him." The Chief replied as Cortana smirked.

"I got him heading north at a fast rate, probably on a vehicle." Cortana said as Hood stood up and brushed off his uniform.

"As fun as this has been, I apologize for what has happened here." Hood said as Dava looked around at the bloodstained wall and doors. "Let's not even get started on the holes in the courtyard either."

"A place of worship turned into a battleground, our ancestors would be turning in their graves." Dava replied as his guards began moving the dead out of the hall. "Fear not, we will have this place cleaned and ready in a few hours." he finished calmly as the Chief tilted his head.

"Do you need any help?" The Chief asked before Cortana could open her mouth.

"It would be appreciated." Dava said as Dubbo groaned.

"You heard the old guy, start working!" Stacker said as the Marines groaned about menial work. "Quit bitching, they're giving us free food and the Chief is getting embarrassed, I'd say that's worth a few hours of cleaning."

"I hate you Stacker." The Chief muttered under his breath.

-Outside-

"Arbiter, restrain yourself." One of the guards said as she had the last merc ready to be executed.

The Arbiter snarled but said nothing as she stepped back and allowed merc to be taken away as her father came up to her.

"I'm truly sorry my daughter for this day turned out." Dava said as the Arbiter didn't respond. "If you would like to be patient we can have everything cleaned up in a few hours." he offered but she only shook her head.

"It wouldn't do anything more than cover up what happened." she replied as she gazed at the Temple. "It's as if I am cursed to always have a cloud of dread to hang over me."

"It seems like that but there is still one silver lining in this." Dava said as the Arbiter looked at him. "You still have a ceremony to perform."

**Yes, I am cutting it right here as well. *cue evil mutters from fans* Yes I am that evil but I wanted the wedding itself to be one chapter so I decided to give you all one chapter of fluffiness and good feelings so look forward to that as my special gift to all of you.**

**Well we only have a bit left so read and review and let's hope we see the Arbiter in H5!**


	16. Chapter 16 The First Happy Memory

**Ch. 16 The First Happy Memory**

**As promised, here is one chapter with nothing but fluffy goodness and it marks the first time our favorite Arbiter/tress can be happy without the cloud of depression and failure hanging over her. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it!**

**I paid off my Limited Edition of Halo 5 yesterday so all that remains is acquiring an Xbox One and going to pick it up on Oct. 27!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are copyright of Bungie and 343.**

True to Dava's word, the Temple was back to its original splendor after almost half a day of cleaning and sanitizing. The bullet holes, plasma scoring and blood stains were completely gone and in their places were fresh paint and new flooring along with newly made tapestry that made it look like there was never a battle at all. Even the courtyard had no evidence of the body parts or pools of blood that were left over from the Arbiter's rage-induced rampage.

"You know Admiral, it's time like this that I love being a high ranking NCO." Stacker said as the Marines finished the last of the painting. While it took longer than anticipated, having help from the humans actually sped things up a little or else it would've taken an entire day and for that the Temple custodians actually had something to be happy about.

"It's times like this that make me wish I took retirement years ago." Hood replied wearily. Nowhere in his job description did it say that he had to attend weddings and participate in firefights at said wedding. At least on the Cairo he had an entire station between him and danger.

"And miss the Chief losing the last vestiges of his freedom?" Stacker asked with a sly grin as Hood sighed.

"I'm going to catch a lot of heat from going ahead with this." Hood explained as Stacker shrugged.

"Let the other prunes stew and just enjoy Sangheilian hospitality. Just wait until you get a taste of their best alcohol, one sip and you'll be knocked on your ass." Stacker said happily as Dubbo shook his head.

"The Chief had to drag us out of the bar." Dubbo explained as Hood looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Bachelor party." Stacker said simply.

"Remind me to assign you both extra duty." Hood said as Stacker and Dubbo started to complain but one look kept them silent. "You were right, being higher ranked does have its perks."

-Scene Change-

The sun was setting on the Temple grounds and night was approaching but the look of the scenery actually made the Arbiter feel calmer than she was before. As if the gods had finally decided to give her one moment of happiness without anything happening.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Kela said as she approached her friend. "As if the gods themselves are giving you their blessing."

"One full day is too much to ask for then." The Arbiter said as she sighed. "Just one day was all I wanted."

"But you are getting it still...ok maybe not the whole day but your dream event." Kela said as the Arbiter grimaced.

"Tomorrow we hunt the human and the next day we begin the summit. I wanted to be able to spend a day with my partner and show him our planet some more but all we will receive is a few hours." The Arbiter replied dully.

"You know...I could use that veto clause. I could still take him from you." Kela said as the Arbiter slowly turned to her. "Imagine it, me and a human marrying in front of a setting sun and then the night descends as we retire to our room." she teased mercilessly as the Arbiter narrowed her eyes. "Just as we start to feel tired we begin to consummate our-" she was cut off as the Arbiter grabbed her mandibles and held them shut.

"You are not taking my mate!" The Arbiter shouted angrily as Kela laughed as best as she could through held mandibles. "I worked too damn hard to get this to happen and I am not giving it up!"

"Then stop whining and complaining and thank the gods that you still have a wedding to attend." Kela responded calmly as the Arbiter snarled. "Also, tell me how the night goes...I wanna know who ended up on the bottom." she finished as the Arbiter flared her mandibles before chasing her friend around the courtyard.

"Get back here and take your beating like a true Sangheili!" The Arbiter yelled as Kela laughed.

-Scene Change-

"So, I heard you put two of our boys in the infirmary." The lead Spartan said with a blank face but the small twitch at her mouth gave it away.

"Only one, the Arbiter got the other." The Chief replied with a shrug.

"Yea, we're sorry about that by the way." she replied as the Chief grunted. "Our orders are suppose to come from the UNSC only but some of our teams didn't seem to get the memo."

"Even if it came from ONI it still had to be authorized by a ranking UNCS commander." Cortana replied as the Spartan grimaced.

"It was and that's the problem. High ranking positions are being shuffled around somehow and no one seems to know what is going on." she replied with a frown. "Two Rear Admirals just went missing a month ago and their positions were filled within an hour with new officers and ignored the usual COC."

"And no one is stopping this why?" The Chief asked even though he knew the answer.

"No proof and also ONI has spooks that have everyone on notice. If you even so much as sneeze wrong they can declare you a traitor on your military record and I don't think I need to say what that means for the soldier or their family." she replied sternly as the Chief nodded.

"Alright, enough doom and gloom! It's time for you to be chain- I mean married!" Stacker said as he entered them room and ushered the Chief out.

"I hate you!" The Chief blurted out again as Stacker laughed.

"Save your breath for your vows Chief." Stacker explained as the Spartans shook their heads.

-Scene Change-

The evening sun was setting as the Chief stood at the same dais he was at before the attack happened but this time he knew that nothing was going to interrupt this again. Nonetheless he still had a little hope that something would but then the familiar ringing sounded again and with every sound he felt what little hope he had was being sealed away.

"Here we go again." The Chief grunted as Cortana was laughing in his ear.

"Chief relax you'll do fine and just remember, you are the one who will prevent any future wars between the two races. You'll be ensuring the coexistence of Humanity and Sangheili from now on so look sharp and smile." Cortana said as the Chief sighed before he heard the very familiar footfalls near the doors.

The Chief turned his head and saw the familiar sight of the Arbiter approaching with her now cleaned armor but he did have a momentarily lapse of thought as the orange light still peeking through the windows hit her figure and seemed to bathe her in a very surreal orange glow. When she finally reached her place on the dais the Chief actually had to shake his head to snap himself back.

"Here we are again huh?" The Chief asked calmly as the Arbiter nodded.

"I apologize for what happened...my rage got the better of me." she said low enough so only he could hear. "I just got tired of having something bad always interrupt anything I accomplish and it finally got the better of me."

"Pent up aggression needs to be exercised out or else it can cause harm." The Chief replied as he put a hand on her shoulder. "That's what allies are for."

The Arbiter nodded again as the priest approached the dais. "Well, time to take the plunge." she whispered with a small blue hue appearing on her face.

"Seems like it." The Chief replied simply.

"Shall we continue where we left off or shall we start over?" The priest asked as the Arbiter and the Chief shrugged.

"I guess we can start over." The Chief offered as the Arbiter looked at him.

"Are you sure? We can just finish up where we were." she asked uncertainly.

The Chief shrugged before he did something that shocked the entire human audience, he smiled and for once it wasn't a creepy "you're going to die" smile but a genuine smile that he only gave to his team. "It might not make up for everything but it will at least give us somewhere to start that doesn't involve fighting."

The Arbiter was speechless at both what he said and also the smile now gracing his face. It was as if everything that was bad in her life just melted away and was replaced with nothing but joy and good feelings that warmed her entire body. The only one who was able to make her feel like that was her mother but now someone else had come along and did the exact same thing. Giving out a joyful cry she stepped close to him and threw her arms around him in a very tight embrace.

The sudden movement caught the Chief off guard and the very foreign feeling of being hugged made him lock up. "What do I do, Cortana." he mumbled urgently as he became uncomfortable.

"Just relax and do what your instincts tell you to do for once John." Cortana said softly as the Chief went silent before he raised his own arms and hesitantly placed them around the Arbiter. "Welcome to being human John," she said encouragingly. "it will get better from here on out."

The hug was a little stiff from the Chief but the Arbiter welcomed it nonetheless and felt as if the entire world had disappeared and the only two people in existence were herself and the Chief as she remained in his warm embrace. Then a human had to ruin the moment.

"Aw...our little Spartan is finally growing up! It was only yesterday he was killing machine and now look, his first crush." Dubbo replied as a Stacker counted down from 5 and a loud slap was heard.

"Asshole!" A female Marine said as she stood over him with a raised hand and the sound of laughter was emanating from the humans.

The Arbiter only snarled back as she removed herself from the Chief and already missed the warm feeling of his arms around her. Giving one final hiss she turned to the priest with a small patch of blue on her face again. "We are ready...ignore the fallen human."

"Yes well, very good." he said as he cleared his throat. "Since the times of our ancestors, we have gathered to celebrate unions of different importance. Each one was considered a blessing by the gods, who strive to ensure that each union was being made between those who were fit to be together. Never before had there been such an importance of the present time and-"

"You are still armed are you not?" The Arbiter whispered to the Chief who gave a short motion to the SMG strapped to his belt.

"Figured it was important based on what I've read." The Chief whispered back as the Arbiter gave a small nod.

"To not be armed is considered a serious offense and show that you do not have the ability to protect your mate. This is more true between warriors than it is between non-combatants but the underlying tone is still there." The Arbiter responded. "Why did you not fight this?" she whispered curiously.

"I...don't know why I didn't to be honest." The Chief replied after a moment. "Everything was telling me to fight this like I would anything else but I couldn't voice it at all."

"You were confused as to what was happening and yet you didn't fight it." The Arbiter whispered slowly. "The gods have truly blessed us with the union of our races."

"If you say so." The Chief whispered back as the Arbiter hooked her hand around his.

"The time has come to put away old hatred and look to the future as our gods have always intended. With this moment we are joining two people, who might be of different birth but are no less than equal in the gods eyes. With this moment we lay a new path onward for the betterment of hope and peace between us and let old wounds close and old feelings be washed away on a tide of change." The priest finished as he took their conjoined hands.

"Arbiter of the Sangheili, Thela 'Vadam, are you prepared to take the vow of marriage and be the defender of your love until time takes you?" The priest asked solemnly as the Arbiter's eyes lit up.

"Upon my honor as the Arbiter of the Sangheili, I, Thela 'Vadam am prepared to take the vow and defend it with my dying breath." The Arbiter replied with her voice brimming with confidence.

"Guardian of Humanity, John-117, are you prepared to take the vow of marriage and be the defender of your love until time takes you?" The priest asked the Chief as he glanced at the Arbiter and back at the crowd.

"Put the camera down Stacker." The Chief said as Stacker grumbled. The Chief shook his head at the Marine before taking a deep sigh. "Upon my honor as the Guardian of Humanity and as a Spartan, I, John-117 am prepared to take the vow and defend it with my last breath."

"So it goes in the ancient times, you are both bonded in the eyes of the gods and may they bring you both forward in joy and triumph from here on out. May all your journeys succeeded and may you both usher in a new era of cooperation and harmony between us all." The priest finished before the Sangheili gave a roar of happiness as the sun finally set.

"One thing left Spartan, you had better kiss your wife." Cortana said as the Chief froze again.

"Not going to happen Cortana." The Chief replied sternly as Cortana smirked.

"Oh yes you will, it might not be right now but before this event is over you will." Cortana said as the Chief began to worry.

"Let's eat already!" Dubbo yelled and would've raced out the door had another Spartan not clotheslined him.

"Why was he accepted into the Corps again?" Stacker asked as the Marines shrugged.

-Scene Change-

The reception was in full swing as the courtyard came to life with dancing, feasting, singing and drinking if the tipsy Sangheili were any indication. True to Kela's word the weapons were left in a container near the Temple doors in case they were needed as no one wanted a drunken shootout. Dubbo and Stacker wisely stayed away from the alcohol though with Hood's gaze on them it wasn't that hard.

"If only it was like this before everything happened." The Arbiter said as she remained with the Chief and just looked around the courtyard.

"At least we didn't lose anyone." The Chief mused as the Arbiter shook her head.

"I mean everything Spartan, the war and the killing. This is how it should have been since the beginning with our two races intermingling like friends instead of pointing weapons at each other as enemies." The Arbiter responded sadly. "Our faith in the Prophets had blinded us to the point that we neglected our feelings and only went with our pride. If only we had listened more than everything could've been avoided."

"What happened in the past can't be changed as much as we want it to. There's a lot that we all regret and wish we could change but it can't happen." The Chief replied as he remembered his old team. "I lost half of my team during the war and the worse part was that I was the one that lead them into it."

"During my time as a Zealot, I had it in my mind that I needed success at any cost and I got it. I had more than a hundred successful missions under my belt but I had more casualties than any other Zealot at my rank. Many of them were the ones I trained with I first joined the service and we had that special bond between comrades but I led them to their slaughter simply because I had glory on my mind." The Arbiter replied sadly. "I had friends and I got them killed."

"We all did things that we aren't proud of." The Chief replied evenly but the Arbiter could hear the very slight crack in his voice. "When they happen, we try to justify it the best we can but it always leaves something there."

"I guess it's time to let it go." The Arbiter said softly. "I led my friends to their deaths and I regret it even to this day. Now I'm still alive while they are no longer here to share in this new age we are building. They died for some stupid ideal that turned out to be nothing more than a suicide pact in the end. They died for nothing but a stupid dream."

"They died for what they believed in." the Chief said solemnly. "I did the same thing for my team. We started getting over-confident and it cost us. I was the one who believed we were truly invincible until they started falling and then everything came crashing down but the one thing they told me before they died was that they died for humanity. They died with the belief that they fought for something worth dying for and to them it was. It always hurt when they died but looking back on it now I finally understand." The Chief finished as he gazed at the night sky. "We were trained to be machines but they always kept what made them human while I became the machine."

"You closed yourself off from feelings because you didn't want to end up like them but in the end you already have become like them." The Arbiter said as the Chief still gazed upward.

"I'm not a machine anymore." The Chief finally said as he looked at her.

"You never were Spartan, you just didn't believe you were human." The Arbiter replied as she took his hand again. "We led our units because we believed in what we were fighting for. Whether it turned out good or bad they still believed in it even in their final breath and yet we felt guilty because we believed that they were meaningless in the end. We neglected to take their feelings into account and chose to focus solely on ourselves and what we did."

"I guess it's time to stop thinking of ourselves and take the views of those we serve with as well." The Chief said simply as the Arbiter gave his hand a squeeze.

"Remember those we fought with and the memories we shared with them. Let's use those to build a better future where feelings of companionship can help to wipe away the scars of the past." The Arbiter said as the Chief turned to her. "We owe it to all of them."

The Chief was silent for a long moment as he thought over everything and he couldn't find any fault in it. He did carry around the burden of what happened and she did as well and that was what made them similar. They tried to cover up what happened but nothing ever did but now they had the ability to let everything go and be free.

Slowly but steadily the both moved closer to each other and under the moonlight the both shared their first kiss.

**And I will close the chapter with that found memory. Originally I wanted to throw in a drunken brawl but I wanted to give you all a feel good fluff chapter so I decided with some reluctance to leave it out in the end. I really had a blast writing this and I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I did and I hope I made it satisfying to see the Chief finally act like a true human for once.**

**If you all need any clarity, the Chief kissed her on the front of her mandibles. The Sangheili can push them together if they need to so just try and go with it.**

**Read and review and I will see you all later!**


	17. Chapter 17 The Morning After

**Ch. 17 The Morning After**

**Man, how long of a ride has this story been? Well sadly we have come to the second to final chapter of it but I have decided after much though (aka reviewer demands) to have an epilogue chapter. Whether or not I write a sequel is completely up to how I feel and how things go in the future but for right now I hope you all enjoy another chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters belong to Bungie and 343.**

The Chief had always prided himself on being the first person up as he was trained to be but today wasn't one of those days. Today he felt more comfortable in his current position than he had in a long time and the warm body next to him was probably the reason. Not that he would complain about it but he had never imagined that he would end up being friendly to the every people he spent the majority of his life killing much less married to one of them and it happened to be the one that hated his guts more than anything at one point.

It was odd how they were so alike despite being totally different species. Both were highly trained soldiers and both had a deep resentment for the Covenant in addition to the same do or die attitude. She was a highly decorated Zealot turned Arbiter and he was a super soldier that had seen more than most Marines ever would. They both also weren't ones who would've been tied down by something like marriage and yet here they were.

"Do you ever stop thinking?" The Arbiter yawned as she sat up in her bed. "Then again, stopping a drunken brawl wasn't on my list of wedding priorities either." The Chief gave a small laugh at that, Dubbo snuck some Sangheilian alcohol when Hood turned away for a brief moment and then the night went south.

_-Flashback-_

"_Oh no..." The Chief said as he rubbed his face with his hand._

"_Could this get any worse?" The Arbiter said hesitantly as Dubbo began to throw a few drunken punches at the nearest Sangheili, who instantly retaliated until Dubbo smashed a bottle on his head._

"_Who...elsh wantsh shome? I can take ya!" Dubbo slurred as another Sangheili threw a bottle at him. "Misshed me!" Dubbo taunted before another Sangheili used that moment to smash another on his head and he dropped._

_Soon after more fists started to fly as bottles were being thrown and the Keep guards were doing their best to sort of the drunken mess and the Chief had to intervene before Stacker got clobbered by a severely drunk Sangheili and the Chief had to dodge punches while dragging the Marine back before diving right back in to drag Dubbo out from his spot on the floor._

_The Arbiter just sat back and watched until one lucky fist connected with the Chief's jaw then she immediately dived into the pile with a loud yell. The next few moments were just a flurry of fists as the Arbiter went to town on anyone in her range including the Sangheili. One of them actually attempted to touch her in a certain area and he got stabbed in his hand for his troubles._

_The brawl continued for several minutes before the Chief jumped back into it and after a few more knockdowns the brawl subsided with the Arbiter and the Chief back-to-back with a pile of knocked-out Sangheili around them._

_-Flashback end-_

"You do have a mean right hook." The Chief quipped as the Arbiter blushed a little.

"I could say the same for you, that uppercut really did the trick." she said back as the Chief shrugged.

"It's almost time to move." The Chief replied after a few minutes of silence as he got off the bed and went to grab his boots.

"Don't remind me." The Arbiter yawned again before she got up and went to grab her armor. "Are you sure of where he went?"

"Yea is it going to be a problem?" The Chief asked as the Arbiter sorted.

"In case you have forgotten, I have a grudge to settle with them." she shot back humorlessly. "They killed my mother and conspired to ruin everything we have tried to work for and all because they have a twisted view of how we should be."

"Just don't get carried away, the last thing we need is you to be injured or worse." The Chief said as the Arbiter stopped and looked at him with only half her armor on.

"Are you worried about me?" she asked curiously but there was a slight tone of gratitude in it. It wasn't often when someone worried about her and the fact that it was him that was worried now made her feel special.

"I know that you can more than handle yourself but a part of me still worries." The Chief said as he paused before he realized he wasn't putting on his MJOLNIR armor at all. It was odd that he didn't even think about it before either but he shook it off as nerves.

"I will be outside when you're ready." The Arbiter said as she finished putting on her regular gray armor and left. Giving one last though about it he quickly donned his armor but only kept the helmet in his hand before he joined his friend now wife outside the room.

**-Scene Change-**

"Nothing happened? Are you joking with us?" Dubbo asked incredulously. "You had an entire night with her and all you did was go to sleep?" His face promptly met the floor courtesy of another Marine.

"You really are an ass hole." she replied dryly as the Chief gave a short laugh.

"So no honeymoon then Chief?" Stacker asked curiously. "Wait, don't tell me that storming a Keep to take down a rogue former Spartan is considered your idea of a honeymoon."

"I guess so." The Chief replied shortly as Hood came into the room.

"Listen up, the last confirmation we got from the rogue agent is within this Keep and scouts have reported that it's being fortified even as we speak. We also have an unconfirmed reports that they have been hiring mercenaries but that's all we know." Hood said as gave a sigh. "We'll be doing a coordinated effort with the Sangheili forces in this so watch your fire."

"What exactly are we suppose to do then?" The Chief asked as he frowned at the display.

"Our orders are simply capture or kill Selmon while the Sangheili have their own orders but they both coincide with each other; We capture Selmon and they capture the Keep. To make sure this happens we will be attacking from multiple directions." Hood said as the terminal display shifted to reveal four boxes surrounding the Keep. "We are being tasked to cover the left side." The Letters UNSC popped up on the left of the Keep. "The Arbiter's forces will cover the north while the Mesumaa forces will approach from the west." Two more names popped up.

"What about the south? Who's covering that?" Stacker asked as Hood gave a slight shrug.

"The Vadumee Keep were more than happy to lend us some of their forces in this strike. Apparently this Keep has many enemies on this planet." Hood replied as he ended the program. "The terrain around the Keep is rocky enough that only off-road vehicles can climb it so we only have Mongoose's and Warthog's for this."

"Air support?" The Chief asked curiously.

"The ship I arrived on wasn't a true combat ship but we do have a few pelicans for air support when we need it." Hood replied as the Chief nodded. "The operation begins at 1700, dismissed."

**-Scene Change-**

"So we will be apart for this then." The Arbiter said as she sat next to the Chief on a small wooden bench in the courtyard of the Keep.

"It would seem so." The Chief replied as the Arbiter leaned on him. His armor was cold but she didn't care, as long as he was around she was content. "What happens when a Keep gets invaded like this?"

"It general means they are unfit to remain in charge of their land. They are offered a chance to surrender what they have or appeal to the conclave but the majority end up fighting back. When they choose to fight then they forfeit everything." she replied as he hesitantly put his arm around her. "The remaining property gets divided among their allies or the conclave if they had no allies. The non-combatants and children would be free to join another Keep however." she explained calmly. "This hasn't happened since the early days of the Covenant though so it's all so new to me."

"Change is never easy, no matter what is changing." The Chief quipped as she nodded. "I guess we both have something we need to get use to."

"That we do Spartan, that we do." she agreed as they both sat in comfortable silence broken only by the occasional smalltalk until the Chief found the Arbiter passed out next to him.

"For better or worse, I'll be here." he whispered to her.

**-Scene Change-**

The time was right and everyone was ready, the Chief was fully armed and armored as he stared down the ominous walls ahead of him. The explosives were in place and the other attack points were ready as well and all they had to do was wait. Nerves were starting to get to the assembled Marines but the Spartans stood calm and collected but the Chief knew better. Even he felt fear but he was able to put it to the side and press on but even his training couldn't brush aside one fear that seemingly popped out of nowhere and wouldn't leave despite his self assurance.

_'Would she be alright.' _Was his prevailing thought before the wall in front of him exploded in a shower of bricks and mortar, giving way to an expansive training field that had enemies scrambling to cover it as the Marines broke through and gunfire filled the air.

The Siege of the Mulamaa Keep had begun.

**Sorry it took so long but life threw me a big curveball. First I got a call for a job offer that was later retracted because of "budget issues" then someone attempted to break into my car with me in it, keyword being attempted before they almost got stabbed by a screwdriver, and to top off it all off my power went out yesterday because a tree fell on the power line.**

**Enough with my rants, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and please vote in the poll on my profile. I just wanna know what story you all have liked the best and you can vote for up to 2 choices. Only the stories that were actually stories are up so go ahead and choose! ^^**

**Read and review and I will see you all next time.**


	18. Chapter 18 Siege of the Keep

**Ch. 18 Siege of the Keep**

**It's time for everyone's favorite couple! What might happen as they storm the Keep of their adversaries? You will just have to read and find out.**

**This story is still barely hanging on to 3****rd**** in the favorite story poll so if you love it then show it some support. Yes, it's a shameless self-promotion XD.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are copyright of 343 and Bungie.**

The Arbiter stood near the front of her side with a look of determination and confidence as she stared at the foreboding stone walls of the Keep in front of her. As she stared the walls down she remembered that this was the same place the killed her mother and those were the very doors that she walked through to get to this cesspool of a Keep. The mere thought of it infuriated her to no end.

"_We are in position Arbiter, by your orders._" Rtas 'Vadumee responded into her comm. _"Let's wipe this Keep off the face of Sangheilios."_

"_Gladly brother." _The Arbiter replied he spit at the Keep. _"When you hear the explosions then you may commence your attack."_

"_Acknowledged." _she heard before the comm went silent. "Are the humans in position?"

"Ready and waiting Arbiter." A technician replied as he broadcast an all clear signal. "Charges set."

"Bring these eye sores down." Was all she said before explosions filled the air and the sound of gunfire echoed around the area. The humans had engaged their end and Kela and Rtas had down the same but now it was her turn. With a loud roar she commanded her troops forward as the walls crumbled and plasma fire scorched the ground at her feet. _'For our future, we will win this.' _

**-With Kela-**

"I want those turrets off that wall!" Falo shouted as his soldiers took up the Fuel Rod Cannons and began to fire. Those Plasma turrets had become a nuisance to him and he wanted nothing more than to see them burned.

"Father, I could've handled this...you didn't have to be here." Kela said as Falo snorted.

"And miss out on the fun? I think not." Falo replied as he watched in glee when the turrets exploded in a flash of green light. "Being here gets the old blood pumping again."

"Father, you haven't been on a battle field in 3 decades." Kela explained to no avail.

"What better time to refresh one's skill then." Falo responded cheerfully as he strolled into the Keep with his sword at the ready and his White armor gleaming in the sun. It wasn't long before he was engaged by a defender that swiftly lost his head as Falo moved with the speed and skill of an elite Spec Ops leader. "Face me if you dare but know that it was the _Assassin of Phalanx _that took you to your death!" he bellowed out as he rushed forward.

"If he's like this then why did he suddenly quit the Covenant?" Kela questioned as she watched her father cut loose.

"He butted heads with the Prophets on more than one occasion. The official reason was he retired but the actual reason was the Prophets told him in no easy way to leave the Covenant." She was told by one of her fathers war buddies. "Most of the warriors you see here are ones that followed him when he was leaving."

"You were more loyal to him than the Covenant?" Kela asked curiously as she dodged a plasma bolt and fired back, striking a defender in the head.

"Yes we were and we do not regret it." She was told as she looked back as her father had quite a few bodies around him and his white armor was stained with purple blood.

"Is that why he became outspoken about Humanity?" she asked as she fired at another defender.

"One of the reasons but yes." She was told as she sighed before charging into the fray.

**-With The Chief-**

The last of the defender on the training grounds fell as the UNSC soldiers poured into the grounds. Only a few defenders surrendered and the rest chose to fight until they dead but no humans died. "They weren't prepared for this kind of attack." The Chief remarked as the soldiers began to set up a defense point.

"The Arbiter's forces have broken through the front and the Vadumee are slowly but surely pushing in from the rear. The Mesumaa report no casualties and the enemy is fleeing into the Keep." A Tech Sergeant reported as the Chief stared at the fortress-like Keep. Somewhere in it's depths was Selmon but getting to him is going to be difficult.

"Can you track the bug?" he asked calmly as the Tech Sergeant stared back at the pad in his hand.

"It's near the center of the Keep but I don't know if it's still on him or not. If the Intel on him is good then he should've discovered it a while ago." The Tech Sergeant replied as the Chief returned his gaze to the Keep.

"Alright, Chief take Bravo and get our "friend", we'll hold this area as an exfil point when you find him." Hood ordered as the Chief gave a curt nod before motioning for Bravo to follow him.

"Working with a legend then huh?" A Spartan asked curiously as the Chief shrugged.

"I don't deal in legends." The Chief replied as he led the team into the building.

"So are we gong to find your wife?" Another asked with a bit of humor.

"We are here to complete our objective, nothing more." The Chief replied dismissively but he honestly wouldn't mind fighting beside the Arbiter in this. Who else could match up to him blow for blow and kill by kill?

**-With The Arbiter-**

"Where is our quarry?" The Arbiter asked calmly as she walked through the halls with her footsteps echoing. "I grow tired of this goose chase." she finished as she effortlessly cut through another ambusher.

"They lie in the inner most chamber. No doubt surrounded by the hardest fighters they have and we know who that includes." One of her Lieutenants replied as she snarled.

"I relish the chance to end that waste of life." she said angrily as she continued through the maze of hallways. "The humans have set up a defense point to the West in the training yard, send part of our forces to assist them. When the fireworks start, that is where we want them to be pushed."

"By your will Arbiter." Was the reply before he walked back to relay her orders.

"The rest of you, fan out in teams of four and capture any who oppose you if they refuse then kill them." she ordered as the rest hurried to follow her orders. As she was about to enter another room she heard the sound of gunfire down the hall and gave a very happy growl before she took off down the hall.

**-With the Chief-**

"Ambush left, Bravo 2 and 4 flank right and cut them off!" The Chief ordered as he ducked behind a wall. The Chief expected some resistance but apparently they had been building up their forces in the last few days. They had hired more mercs than was previously thought and the ones outside were just the first wave and when they stepped into the main hall they were ambushed by a large platoon.

"Chief more above!" Cortana said as more Sangheili came in from upper level.

"Suppressive fire, give 2 and 4 cover!" The Chief ordered as his split team fired back while covering their own. They were being overwhelmed before one of the mercs suddenly found a sword in their gut and another found the same thing.

"Where's-" Another started before they were cut down and the confusion gave way to the Arbiter uncloaking from her place.

"What happened to the fearless warrior that I married? Did you lose your edge?" she asked curiously as the Chief bristled. "Couldn't even handle a few fighters, I'm shocked."

"I got sidetracked by wondering if you were going to be able to handle this." he shot back and it was the Arbiter's turn to bristle.

"Are you calling me weak?" she asked in a dangerously low voice.

"Uh Chief...you might want to stop." Cortana warned but the Chief smirked behind his helmet.

"I guess I am." he replied calmly as she shook in anger.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WEAK!" she shouted before rushing at the nearest enemy.

"You did that on purpose didn't you." Cortana accused as the Chief gave a small chuckle.

"It was totally worth it." he replied as he watched her go into the same frenzy she displayed the previous day at her wedding.

Maybe this life wouldn't be so bad after all.

**And we will end the chapter here due to time constraints. Sorry but I was in Clearwater the whole weekend for mother's day. My sis and I got her a weekend vacation and the good news is I'm not sun burnt but they are XD.**

**I know that there wasn't a whole lot of action here but that's for the next chapter when the two newlyweds confront their respective enemies and yes they will be back-to-back in it so stay tuned!**

**Read and review and I will see you all next time!**


	19. Chapter 19 Honeymoon in a Combat Zone

**Ch. 19 The Honeymoon in a Combat Zone**

**Well it's time for the grand finale in this roller coaster story. Don't worry I will be posting an epilogue chapter as well to give this story a great way to end. I will also do my best to ensure that the epilogue won't harm the making of a sequel if I do one.**

**On a side note, has anyone played MKX and if you did can you tell me if its worth getting? On that thought, is Scholar of the First Sin worth it as well? I like Dark Souls and MK but I've heard that they aren't the best but again my sources aren't the best judges of games.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters belong to Bungie and 343.**

"So I take it this is a use it if you got it moment?" One of the Spartans asked as the Arbiter finished her rampage.

"It's called taking advantage of the wife's fury." Another replied as Cortana sighed in the Chief's helmet.

"She might turn on you Chief." Cortana warned as the Chief shrugged. "I know you can defend yourself but her rage isn't something you want to invoke."

"I'll manage it." The Chief promised as the Arbiter walked up to him covered in purple.

"Still think I'm weak now?" she asked angrily as the Chief shook his head.

"Never doubted you for a minute." he replied as he motioned for his team to continue. "Feel like tagging along?"

The Arbiter gave a short huff. "Trying to get rid of me?"

"Nope, just wanting to know if you wanted to run with real fighters." The Chief replied as the Spartans snickered and the Arbiter bristled.

"Chief..." Cortana said in exasperation.

"You are dead when we get back." The Arbiter replied angrily as the Chief smiled behind his helmet.

**-With Rtas-**

"Leader, we have located the targets. They are hold up in an underground part of the Keep and surrounded by an entire platoon." A Sangheili said as Rtas growled.

"So they wish to make us dig for them. Let us grant us their wish, bring the Scarab." Rtas ordered as the Sangheili around him moved to follow his orders. A few minutes later they heard the sound of an incoming Scarab drop and it kicked up a cloud of dirt when it hit the ground. "Warn those inside the Keep."

"By your orders Shipmaster." One of the Sangheili said before the Scarab began to power up.

"Isn't this overkill?" Another asked as Rtas shrugged.

"Their bunker is fortified against the usual ordinance so we need to go higher." Rtas replied as he faced the Keep. "Any casualties so far?"

"None from our side yet but the enemy has sustained quite a few. They went for quantity over quality."

"Quantity only works when you have the numbers to continuously replace what you lose but in this case they failed at that." Rtas finished with a huff of irritation. "I would rather wipe this entire place from the face of our planet. It has been an eyesore of dishonor for too long."

**-With the Chief-**

"I swear your a danger magnet Human." The Arbiter said as she and the Chief huddled behind a wall with the rest of the team on the opposite wall.

"I could say the same for you." The Chief replied as more plasma came from the hallway. "Put it this way, the more we run into the closer we get."

"I am seriously going to shove my hoof in your ass." The Arbiter growled as leaned around to the Chief and fired a few shots.

"This isn't the time to be on your damn honeymoon!" A Spartan shouted as the Arbiter growled.

"Seeing as how we weren't able to have one I say this qualifies." she shouted back.

"So getting shot at is your idea of a honeymoon?" The Chief asked curiously as the Arbiter shrugged.

"Not every female likes fancy dinners and dates. I prefer combat and sparring." The Arbiter replied calmly though the Chief could tell that she probably wouldn't mind a nice night out. He would have to take her on one later.

"Chief we need to leave, the Sangheili are about to use a Scarab to take this place down." Cortana said urgently as the Chief went wide-eyed.

"Everyone back to the evac zone now!" The Chief ordered as the other's began to fall back. "A scarab is about to take this place out."

"Rtas..." The Arbiter said with a huff.

"Yep."

"Then remind me to kill him before I kill you."

"Will do."

**-Scene Change-**

A loud explosion was heard as the UNSC forces felt the ground shake beneath them and rumbling sounds became prevalent when the Keep started to explode. Many Marines were confused and little shaky when the Scarab appeared from the crumbling Keep.

"So it's a take none alive kind of thing." Hood said as a Sangheili limped towards him.

"We had always wanted to take this place off our world and this seemed like the best time." The Sangheili replied as Hood turned to him.

"Was this place that bad?"

"Worse than you would think, they had a hand in almost every bad aspect of the Covenant that you could think of. Many of us willing gave up their fighters locations to you during the war and we didn't regret it in the slightest."

"So you all were the tip-offs." Hood said calmly though if half of the things he heard about were true then he did understand why they would sell their own.

"Yes and we have no respect for this place or its inhabitants." The Sangheili replied evenly.

"I thought your race were suppose to be honorable." Hood said as the Sangheili growled.

"They brought dishonor on our entire race. They still backed the Prophets even to this day and were conspiring to sell all of us out to the Brutes." The Sangheili replied while clenching his fists. "They deserve nothing less than to be left to rot in a sewer."

"And now you get the chance." Hood finished as the Sangheili gave a nod as they watched the Scarab aim it's main weapon at the ground and fired, tearing a hole in the ground.

After a few more minutes the ground was completely blackened and the hole revealed a large staircase leading into the planet.

**-With the Chief and the Arbiter-**

"Time to go." The Chief said as he stood up next to the Arbiter.

"Seems like it, try and keep yourself alive and end his." she replied as she gave him a short nudge.

"Only if you don't go sword crazy." Was the Chief's reply as he hesitantly gave her a short hug.

"All down who's going down!" Hood yelled as the Chief and the Arbiter were the first down, followed by a platoon of Sangheili. The stairwell went down for quite a while until they came to a large door that kept them from their respective prey.

"Shall I or shall you?" The Chief asked as the Arbiter grabbed on of the doors. "Ok same time." he finished as he pulled on the other door and they both heard a large screeching sound as they pried the doors open and the other Sangheili rushed to help. Under the combined force the doors finally gave way and slid open s they all pushed into the room while taking fire.

"Stop!" A familiar voice was heard as Kevam stepped in the middle of the room. Various members of the Keep's guards stood on the second level with Carbines as the Elders of the Keep sat near the back wall; Selmon was beside them.

"I guess we must be graced with your ugly face again." The Arbiter snarled as the Chief bit back a laugh.

"And yet you disgraced us all by agreeing to bed with one of them." Kevam snarled back as the Arbiter shrugged.

"And yet the only ones complaining are your pathetic lot." she said as Kevam growled. "You even conspired with another human and yet you have the gall to say I'm disgraceful."

"We have a mutual agreement and you just have some outdated philosophy." Selmon shot back as the Arbiter looked at the Chief.

"Is that the failed one?" she asked casually as Selmon bristled.

"Yes, and there is no mutual agreement between you. The ones behind him had already pulled their support and left him out to dry. Which means he has no ability to fulfill and agreement anymore." The Chief said as Selmon grunted. "The augments and implants nearly killed him until ONI found him and took him away. It took them almost half the war before they were able to repair the majority of the damage and give his body the necessary support it needed to use them."

"And yet he has proven that he isn't on your level." The Arbiter said as the Chief nodded.

"He was never trained like us." The Chief agreed.

"Then you should have no trouble." she finished as Selmon clenched his fists.

"You were always the one they dotted over, the one they always paid attention too. The rest of us were just leftovers to be used as fodder. I'm going to enjoy presenting Earth with your head." Selmon shoot back as the Chief took his combat stance.

"And I'm going to enjoy making you scream for mercy." Kevam snarled as the Arbiter didn't bother to hide her laughter.

"I would love to see you even attempt to hurt me." The Arbiter said as she stood with the Chief in her own stance.

On an unspoken signal all four charged and met their respective partner in the center before breaking off on their own.

The Chief easily dodged punch after punch as Selmon attempted to land a punch to him. He managed to land a lucky hit that made a small dent in the Chief's gauntlet but it only made the Chief sigh. "We both know that you won't win Selmon." The Chief said as Selmon responded with a punch to the Chief's visor but the Chief grabbed his hand and quickly Judo threw him over his shoulder. Selmon landed on his feet before pulling out a pistol and firing as the Chief dodged around.

"You always had the best of everything! Now I'll make sure you have nothing!" Selmon shouted as he unloaded the entire clip. "You always were the favorite!"

"I had to earn my place! I had to fight harder than anyone else because I was looked up to, I had to be the leader that would lead the Spartans into battle! You say I was given everything but I had to fight for every square inch of what I have now!" The Chief yelled as he rushed Selmon.

The few shots Selmon had left bounced harmlessly off his shields as the Chief reached him and smacked the pistol out of Selmon's hands before grabbing him by the throat. "You made a mistake, because you never took my armor into account."

"How many civilians did you leave for dead when you started. How many Marines did you get killed because you only cared about results? I did nothing of the sort and have no blood on my hands while yours are stained with thousands. I hope you rot in Hell with the rest of your team!" Selmon then spit in the Chief's visor before The Chief crushed his throat.

"I may have the blood of thousands but I have the thanks of a countless more." the Chief said as he tossed Selmon away.

**-With the Arbiter-**

"No sniper to back you up this time." The Arbiter said as she dodged a punch and countered with a sweep as Kevam jumped back. "I see no knife either so you must be delusional to think you can beat me fairly."

"You might be the Arbiter but you don't have the strength to use that title properly. You would rather make nice with our enemies when we should be crushing them! You aren't worthy to lead us!" Kevam shouted as he got in close and tried to deliver another punch but the Arbiter effortlessly dodged it before launching a punch of her own and hitting him in the chest and knocking him back a few feet.

"And you delude yourself by thinking we are unbeatable. The humans have killed more of us than I would like to count. It was six on one and they managed to to make the war last 28 years before the Schism happened!" The Arbiter shot back as Kevam growled and shot at her again but she side-stepped and delivered a roundhouse to his mid-section.

"We had them backed up to their world!" Kevam shouted.

"And Regret found out that the Humans were more than willingly to throw everything at us to survive at that battle! It only took a few hours before his fleet was torn apart and he had to flee like a coward!" The Arbiter shot back as she grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, breaking it and kicking him away. "We had every advantage we could ever get and they still held on and we even helped them secure victory! The Humans had lost everything but ultimately they still won the war!"

"We should have never turned against the Covenant, they would've allowed us to stay had we just stepped aside for a little while! We would've proven that we were still loyal and we would've gained it back! We could have wiped the humans out of the galaxy completely!" Kevam snarled as the Arbiter took her sword out and sliced off one of his legs.

As he howled in pain her platoon had finished off the remaining defenders and moved to secure the elders. "That is where you are wrong. They would've killed us all because we were beginning to think differently than them. We were questioning just why the war was taking this long and ultimately they decided we weren't needed anymore."

"Lies, all lies spread by a coward and a heretic. I regret that I wasn't the one who branded you with that mark you will always bear' you were just a female who pretended that she was someone. Your place was beneath the hooves of your better's but you just kept trying to make it seem like you did something worth remembering but you didn't, you will always be remembered as the Arbiter that allowed her own feelings to overrule her honor!" Kevam shouted over his pain as the Arbiter snarled at him. "I relished in running your mother through all those years ago."

The Arbiter began to shake in repressed rage as she gripped her sword tighter. She had the murderer of her mother on the ground before her and she wanted nothing more than to rip him apart but she couldn't. She never stopped when she wanted to kill but this was different, this was a Sangheili who didn't deserve the honor of dieing by her blade. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction, she wanted him to suffer in the worst way possible.

"Bind him and get him out of my sight. When the time comes I want him to face public shaming and humiliation for the rest of days." The Arbiter grounded out bitterly as Kevam screamed at her.

"**YOU'RE A WEAK WILLED COWARD! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE STOMACH TO KILL ME AND YET YOU CALL YOURSELF AN ARBITER! I HOPE YOU ROT LIKE YOUR WHORE OF A MOTHER!" **Kevm screamed as eh was dragged from the room with the bound elders.

When her warriors were out of sight, she stabbed her sword through the wall with a loud scream of rage. "I had him right there and yet the thought of taking his life disgusted me! God's be damned!"

"Because you decided that it wasn't worth it." the Chief replied as he put his gauntlet on her shoulder. "He came off as too much of an asshole to be killed by you."

"He killed my mother." The Arbiter argued but the Chief brought her into a hug.

"Killing him won't return her, nothing will but you denied him what he wanted. Killing him would've made him a martyr for whatever faction served. If you keep him alive, you deny what power he had over you." The Chief reasoned as the Arbiter brought her hands around.

"This Keep was the first to move for marriage with me when I became of age. They knew that we were growing too powerful for their liking and they saw as a threat to what they have. They wanted to use me as a pawn to force my own Keep to kneel to them. We rebuffed them when I joined the Covenant but they continued to try until Kevam was sent home missing his arm. It was after that when they killed my mother." The Arbiter replied as a lone tear formed on her eye.

"She would be proud at what you have accomplished. Deep down, you know that she is and she wouldn't want you to be like this." The Chief replied as the Arbiter let out a short huff.

"She would be kicking my ass around this room if she saw me like this. She was in the Covenant before I was born. That's why she always the top Sangheili in the Keep, my father is the official leader but she was always the unofficial leader and no one wished to contradict her." she replied as she tightened her hold a bit. Though the Chief had his armor on, he felt a small measure of warmth.

"Then honor her by doing what she would've done." The Chief replied shortly as the Arbiter stared into his visor before removing his helmet.

"I will." she said before she kissed him again.

**Wow that was pretty good if I do say so my self. The ending to it was actually fun to write as it allowed me to go wild for a comfort scene but I do admit the good guy not killing bad guy was a bit too cliché and I was sorely tempted to write out a very gory and very detailed death scene but I withheld mainly because the Chief would've stopped her either way. Plus this way allowed me to set up another fluff scene.**

**One more epilogue chapter to go and I hope you all enjoy this one and I hope you enjoy the epilogue too. It will be released the week after this so stay tuned and stay cool everyone! **

**Till next time my fellow m-human/f-alien lovers!**


	20. Epilogue: The Greatest Feeling

**Epilogue: The Greatest Feeling**

**What a ride for this story and what a great trip it was huh? Just seeing that so many people have read this since it began and followed it throughout has just been a phenomenal feeling. Now I know why so many authors stay for years on here lol.**

**Well it's time for the final hoo-rah on this story and I intend to send us all out with a great ending. Here's to all the comments and begging for this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters belong to 343 and Bungie. See all end all question: Female Sangheili or female Spartan, which you would you want to date? Leave answers in the review section and yes you may have both if you desire to get your pelvis obliterated.**

**-10 Years Later-**

Dava 'Vadamee has held any titles in his life: he was a leader in the Human-Covenant War, an elder to his Keep, a father to the Arbiter, a former husband to a very respected and feared wife, a mentor to his peers and a Master of the Keep. He controlled one of the most successful Keeps on Sangheilios and his word carried more weight than more than the other Keeps combined.

But all of that paled in comparison to one title that always brought joy to his old heart and made him feel years younger. That title you ask?

"GRANDPA!"

That one word was his only warning before he was ran into by three children. "Omphf...not so hard little ones, Grandpa can't take much on these old bones." Dava said as the three children laughed as they helped him up. "Have you three finished your training for the day?"

"Yes, Grandpa." The three replied as Dava gave a Sangehilian smile.

"Very good little ones, you three will be the shining example of cooperation in the near future." Dava said proudly. "Who's ready for some fresh baked Panaka Bread?" he asked as they all quickly grabbed his hands and led him away as he laughed.

As Dava was led through the halls of his Keep by the three children he couldn't help but remember the days leading up to the moment when two of them first graced his Keep's halls.

_-Flashback-_

"_You...you are serious?" Dava asked slowly as the Chief nodded. "You wish to adopt human children and bring them here?"_

"_There's shortages of supplies everywhere on Earth right now and too many orphans from the war. It might take a bit of convincing but in the end the agency's will have to give in." The Chief replied calmly. "Your daughter has been anxious to have a child and since we aren't able to, I figured she wouldn't mind a human one."_

"_That she wouldn't. We don't do these "adoptions" like you humans do but where a child comes from isn't a concern for us either. All children are sacred to the Sangheili and to have one is to tie yourself to another forever." Dava said as a thought crossed his mind. "My daughter has her date of birth coming soon, perhaps we could find a way to make it happen by then?"_

"_It shouldn't take longer than a week to get things finalized but you know they will have a long list of demands." The Chief replied as Dava nodded._

"_And we will accept any demands they have." Dava acknowledged as the Chief nodded._

_-Flashback end-_

"You're spacing out again Grandpa." Jackie complained as they reached the kitchen.

"Ah I apologize little one. My memory keeps jumping at me sometimes." Dava replied as he sat across from the three children.

Jackie was a human child about 7 years old with short brown hair and matching brown eyes and light colored skin. He was the most out going of the three and was always making sure that everyone had a happy day with his antics.

Lexi was a human girl about 6 years old with short black hair and green eyes and dark skin. She was the studious one who loved books and reading. She was already giving the Master Recorder a serious challenge in the intellect category. She preferred quiet but she wouldn't say no to helping Jackie run wild on the Keep Guards.

The Keep Guards in return made a game out of their antics and often challenged the two to come up with new ways and tricks and the children gave it to them. Luka himself often became the target of many of the tricks but the old veteran didn't mind in the least.

When they were brought to the Keep on the Arbiter's birth day, Thela almost had a heart attack before breaking down.

_-Flashback-_

"_What are you up to husband?" The Arbiter asked suspiciously as the Chief looked at her. "You have been tense this entire day."_

"_I'm just ready for another incident." The Chief said as the Arbiter gave a soft sigh._

"_One of these days we will have to ban those two from our alcohol." she replied as the Chief gave a small chuckle. "That is not the whole reason though, we have been married for three years now husband and I can tell when you are hiding something."_

"_It's a surprise wife." The Chief said as the Arbiter grimaced before turning away with a huff._

_Most of the day passed smoothly, even with Dubbo sneaking a few drinks the celebration was straightforward and the games held during were even better as they allowed humanity to show off their own strength for once. The Human embassy on Sangheilios had been up and running for a year now and so far no incidents have been reported._

_When it was time for the surprise, suffice to say the Arbiter wasn't ready for it at all._

"_Remember how I said I have a surprise?" The Chief asked as he quietly led her away from the main area into a side room the only ones in their were the two and her father who looked a little tense._

"_What's going on?" The Arbiter asked slowly. The air was heavy in the room and she felt like suffocating under the tense atmosphere. She didn't like unknown situations but this seemed to be something big and unexpected._

"_Daughter, I know that I haven't been close to being the best father in your life. After speaking with your husband and confirming a couple of items, we have given you something you have been asking for." Her father said as she got an odd twist in her stomach._

"_What...what are..." The tense atmosphere was making it hard for her to breathe but when her father brought out two small bundles of cloth and carried them to her she stopped breathing all together as she gazed at the sleeping faces of two young human babies. Very slowly with shaking hands she took them and held them close to her as if they were fragile pieces of glass that would shatter at the slightest flinch. "How..."_

"_You've been wanting children and after some deliberations, I felt that the best gift I could give is what you want." The Chief replied as the Arbiter continued to look at the human babies. _

_One had short brown hair with light skin and the other had short jet black hair and darker skin. Both were sleeping peacefully and both gave short gurgles in their sleep when the Arbiter nuzzled them. Human they were but the Arbiter didn't care in the least._

"_Are these...do you mean..." she trailed off as she looked straight at the Chief's brown eyes._

"_Signed, documented and notarized by the UNSC and Earthen Government." The Chief replied as he held out a data pad. "We are their legal parents from now on."_

_If the Arbiter could've hugged the Chief right then and there she would've but the two children in her arms prevented that but she did grace him with a nice kiss when he moved closer._

_Dava chose this moment to leave the two new parents with a Sangheili smile on his face._

_-Flashback end-_

"Hello! Earth to Grandpa Dav!" Lexi said as Dava nodded his head.

"Sorry again young one, us old timers love trips down memory lane." Dava replied as he took a bite of his bread. It was the Sangheilian version of the human pound cake he learned, sweet and sugary but with some fruit baked in. They ate quietly before Dava turned his eyes to the third child and the complete shock to both human and Sangheili.

The child was a Sangheili with dark brown eyes and a fiery temper that matched exactly who her mother was along with the strength and endurance of the human who had helped birth her. Vele 'Vadam was her birth name and though she was only 4 years old, she had already been hailed as the future Arbiter with her quick temper and matching intellect and instincts.

The entire biology text on both species had to be re-written when it was found out just who had been the biological parents.

_-Flashback-_

"_Wha-What did you say?" The Arbiter asked in shock. This situation was just too impossible to even think about._

"_You are currently carrying a child Arbiter. Of that there is no doubt." The doctor repeated but he was just as confused and shocked as she was._

"_But...how?" she asked slowly as the doctor shook his head._

"_I am not sure, did you..."_

"_NO! Never in my entire life will I ever do anything like that with anyone but my life mate!" The Arbiter yelled as she cut that train of thought off completely._

"_Then I can only surmise that the other parent is indeed the human." The doctor said as the Arbiter shook. "I can run some tests but it might be a good idea to have the humans test this themselves as well. They will want to know about it."_

_The Arbiter had to think it over for a moment. "Do it but be careful or else I will kill you." she warned as the doctor nodded before he took blood and DNA samples from her and through careful procedures took a small bit from the growing child in her._

_-Flashback end-_

Each race ran almost a thousand tests on the samples they received and all the tests came back with the same result. The two biological parents of the child she carried was the product of a Human and a Sangheili or more specifically the Arbiter and the Spartan. The results had completely perplexed both races until they ran simulations with various samples of DNA.

In 1000 simulations, only a total of 5 samples managed to match up enough genes to produce a viable offspring, with the mother determining the race and the primary traits and the father providing the gender and the supporting traits.

The two parents had a 0.5% chance of ever being able to produce a child and yet they both apparently had the best luck in the entire galaxy. The fact that the two only saw each other for only half the year in person only made that all the more apparent. Vele felt Dava's eyes on her and she looked up from her bread. "Is there something on my face grandfather?"

"No little one, just remembering the day you were born. Your mother was still in shock about it even then you know. You were a miracle in terms of statistics between all the simulations ran on account of your conceiving." Dava said as Vele grimaced. "It's nothing to be sad about, on the contrary it was truly a blessing from the gods. It only provided more proof that your parents made the correct choice to be wed 10 years ago."

"Where were we when this happened?" Jackie asked as Dava reached into his robes and pulled out a small holo-picture and handed it to them.

"You both were still so young and in addition you were sleeping all the time but you weren't any less important." Dava said as they looked at the picture of themselves being hugged tight to the Arbiter's body with their newest sibling in between them. Their mother looked completely happy and at peace.

"Mom really enjoys having kids now doesn't she?" Lexi asked as the other two nodded.

"She does, she almost lost her mind when your father took you three to Earth." Dava said as the kids grinned or nodded in Vele's case.

"Seeing Aunt Kelly shove Uncle Fred's head into a wall was worth it." Jackie said with a big grin as Vele shook her head.

"Stupid big brother." Vele said as Jackie gave her and Lexi a big hug.

The incident in question was a year after Vele was born and the Spartan decided that taking the kids to see their other relatives was a good idea and the Arbiter went wild when she found out and sent Rtas, Uncle R to the kids, to keep tabs on them with the threat that his manhood would no longer be attached if he failed.

_-Flashback-_

_As the Chief strode through the halls of the Cairo many UNSC personnel stopped and openly gawked at the sight of the Spartan, humanity's ultimately killer, walking with one child in his arm while two more walked beside him. It was almost impossible to even comprehend but there they were, walking like the didn't have a care in the world except for the Chief who still remained tense as his eyes occasionally darted back and forth in search of any potential troublemakers that might cause harm to his children, more importantly his Sangheili child._

_Thankfully he reached his destination without incident but he still had to steel himself as the people on the other side of the door weren't normal UNSC personnel. Giving a soft sigh, the door opened and he stepped through it and into a small training room._

"_Chief!" he heard a shocked voice say from the corner of it. Turning towards the source he saw one of his old teammates from Blue Team. Fred-104 hurried over to the Chief with a large grin on his face. "Hey everyone! The Chief is back, with visitors!"_

"_Out of my way!" Another voice, female this time, said as she roughly shoved Fred out of the way. Kelly-087 always liked the little things in life and kids were no different. "Aw look how cute it's a mini-Chief." she gushed as Jackie tried to hide from her._

"_Your scaring them." Linda-058 said as she approached them with a slight smile on her face. "You also ran over Fred, though he probably deserved it." she finished as Fred gave a squawk of indignation._

_The Chief shook his head but did smile as his team joked around him. This was the team he missed for a long time and to be back around them was calming to him. "It's great to see you all again." The Chief said as Fred picked himself up off the ground._

"_Same to you Chief, are these little ones yours?" Kelly asked as the Chief nodded before ushering Jackie in front of him._

"_This is Jackie, this is Lexi," he motioned to the dark-skinned girl hiding behind him. "And this is Vele, the miracle child." he finished as Vele snuggled closer to her father._

"_Miracle child seems appropriate." An older voice said from behind the Chief as he turned and saw Halsey with a smile on her face. "It has been some time hasn't it John."_

"_That it has ma'am." The Chief replied as Halsey stepped closer and motioned for Vele. The Chief handed her over carefully as Halsey cradled her in her arms._

"_She has your eyes John and I bet she has your abilities from your injections." Halsey remarked as she went to sit down with Vele. "Come here children and I'll tell you a story about your father." she remarked with a sly smile as the Chief face-palmed and his children cautiously went to her._

"_Does your wife know you brought them here Chief?" Fred asked suddenly as Linda gave a slight flinch that went unnoticed._

"_Not particularly." The Chief replied as Kelly gave a snort._

"_You are dead you know." Linda said as Kelly nodded._

"_Never take your kids without telling your wife Chief, it's bad for your health." Kelly explained as the Chief shrugged._

"_They are my children too." The Chief replied but the both females only shook their heads._

"_They are always hers Chief and your just a donor." Kelly said as the Chief sighed and Rtas tried his best not to laugh from his position. He knew that they knew he was in the room but they ignored him since he wasn't there to do anything._

"_So Uncle Fred stole Aunt Kelly's animal and flushed it down the toilet?" Jackie asked suddenly as Fred went wide-eyed when Kelly rounded on him._

"_THAT WAS YOU?!" she shouted as attention went to her and Fred. "YOU BLAMED IT ON SAM!"_

"_Well..." Fred started but ended up making a break for the door but Kelly was quicker. As soon as he started running she grabbed his shirt and beat the crap out of him before throwing him through a wall._

"_Take my stuff again and it's my boot where the sun doesn't shine!" Kelly said as the children shook their heads before turning back to Grandma Halsey._

_-Flashback end-_

"Sounds like it was a nice time." Dava replied as the three nodded. "Are you visiting them again soon?"

"As soon as mommy and daddy get back." Vele said as she finished her bread. "Mommy said that we can only go when she is with us."

"That is my daughter. She dotes on you three all the time but that's how mothers are." Dava said as he finished his bread and stood up. "Why don't you three show me how good you are? I haven't seen your training since last year and your instructor says you three have grown by leaps and bounds."

The children shrugged but they were already destined for greatness. Vele was the next Arbiter in line but she refused point blank to accept anything unless her siblings went with her and after much debate it was agreed that Jackie and Lexi would be the first of her Honor Guard when the time came for her to take her mother's place.

Until then, there was training to be had and many guards to prank.

**-With the Chief and the Arbiter-**

"Just once I want to go someplace nice instead of a place crawling with insurgents." The Arbiter complained as she unloaded her Plasma Rifle into a Jackal.

"Such is the life of the military." The Chief countered as he inserted a fresh magazine into his MA5B. "I'll ask for some leave time after this."

"You better or else I'll force you to go AWOL." The Arbiter replied as the rest of their mixed squad snickered. "And no one would find you, not even your team."

"Sorry Chief but you're on your own for this. Marines, we're moving to objective Bravo." One Marine said as he led part of his squad away when the last insurgent fell. "See you at the CC Chief."

"We'll be moving on the Armory to cut off their weapons supply. May the lords guide you to victory." A Major Sangheili said as he led his squad out, leaving the couple alone in the room.

"I guess we're assaulting right through. First to 50?" The Chief offered as the Arbiter shook her head.

"You wouldn't even be able to keep up with me." she remarked as the Chief grinned.

"Wait until our kids heat the Human beat his Sangheilian wife." The Chief said as the Arbiter stepped closer to him.

"Or their Human father will be forced to explain why he keeps being beat by his Sangheilian wife." she replied as the Chief gave another grin before pulling her in close.

**-Scene Change-**

"Mommy! Daddy!" Three voices yelled out in the courtyard as a human and a Sangheili came into view before they were obscured by three children dive-bombing them.

The happy family was together again and each time they came home, both parents thought that maybe peace would finally be attained and they could simply live out their lives in peace with their kids.

"Were it so easy." Was always the Arbiter's answer.

**Phew what a chapter and what a ride huh? I believe I hit all the nails on the head in this one and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I had fun writing it.**

**It's been a long journey for our happy couple and a sequel might be possible but for right now I'm going to be working on my next story which is my D3 one. Halo 5 comes out in about 6 months so I'm sure we are all looking forward to it especially if the Arbiter is in it. Since H3 we have all been asking for his comeback but so far it has gone ignored by everyone in the game industry but fingers crossed.**

**Well guys, read and review and I hope you all continue to come back to this story and I hope I inspire more female Arbiter or even more female Sangheili stories in general. There's a severe lack of them (I think only 4 or 5 total) and they can be very great if done right.**

**Side note: Yes I am a Chief/Linda guy so sue me! XD**


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